Secrets of an Emotional Mind
by Svinorita
Summary: Nothing is more important than family. Fear is about to uncover a very special secret, but in his quest to discover the truth about himself, he will end up breaking the oldest the biggest taboo any Emotion could break...
1. Always On My Mind

Chapter 1.

It was night and all was quiet and still inside the mind of Riley Anderson. The 12 year old girl had fallen asleep after another busy day at school followed by hockey practice in the evening and was now dreaming peacefully.

Even though she was utterly exhausted, there was the hint of a smile on her lips for she was guided through her day by her five vigilant emotions, all doing their parts to ensure that their girl could not only function but thrive in the world.

And just as Riley was snoring softly on her pillow, so too were Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear getting some much needed rest themselves. Well, all but one…

Fear lay awake in his bed, excitement and anticipation making his heart beat so fast that his whole body was quivering. Sleep was the farthest thing from the purple emotion's mind as he eagerly waited for everyone else to be fast asleep. He could barely believe it! Finally! Tonight was the night he had been looking forward to for weeks!

Fear still couldn't believe it was real and that of all emotions happening to HIM. Looking back on it now, it all seemed like a beautiful dream and he often found himself wondering _"Why me?"_

But still another part of him knew that it made perfect sense. After all he had read in the Mind Manuals that he, Fear, was in fact the most ancient and primal of all the Emotions. His kind had been there from the beginning, helping to protect and ensure the survival of their hosts, and just as humans had evolved into ever more sophisticated beings, the centuries had shaped his race into the most intelligent and sensitive of Emotions, so perhaps it was only a matter of time before something like this happened…

Smiling to himself, Fear remembered how it had happened to him the first time…

He was having one of his typical and seemingly endless nightmares one night, curled up tight on himself and whimpering pitifully in desperation, yet unable to wake up, when suddenly he heard it. It was a voice in his dreams so gentle and soothing that all the horrible scenes in his head faded into oblivion and for the very first time in his life, a wave of calmness washed over his entire body and he felt for all the world that nothing could ever hurt him again.

After awaking, he had almost sobbed when he had realised that it was just a dream. That beautiful voice, unlike any other he had heard before had been so comforting that it seemed like he would never be afraid again.

But it had done so much more than just reassure him.

Fear couldn't shake the feeling from his mind that he _knew_ that voice from somewhere before… a time in his life that he was not _meant_ to remember, like a suppressed memory or an unwritten rule that was beyond his comprehension…

Yet deep down he believed that this was no mere dream. That voice was real and it was reaching out to him, activating a part of his memory that was supposed to remain blocked off forever… But why? He didn't know, but one thing he felt sure without a doubt was that the voice was _a part of him,_ and he longed to hear it again more than anything he had every wanted before…

Since that fateful night, Fear would woken from countless nightmares, hearing that sweet voice comforting him, _protecting_ him, long after the terror had subsided and his body had stopped trembling.

Determined to find some answers, he had scoured through virtually every volume of the Mind Manuals hoping to find some kind of explanation, but nowhere had it mentioned a dream voice that seemed to be offering guidance, and seemingly, to him alone. Although he never confronted his fellow Emotions about the silent messages that played in his head at night, none of them ever hinted that they too were experiencing the same thing.

So for fear of receiving their ridicule and having them questioning his sanity, Fear had kept the mystery to himself. But rather than wish for the strange event to end, he found himself hoping that he might hear the voice again night after night as he began convincing himself that the owner of the voice wanted him to know something very special. Something meant only for him…

This phenomena continued for some time until one night the message was so clear and surprising that Fear awoke with a start, sweat dripping down his back and the axon on his head standing straight up as the beautiful voice echoed in his head: " _Go to Family Island. There you will see me again…"_

" _See me again?"_ What was that supposed to mean?! Although he had had his beliefs that he knew that voice from somewhere in his past, it had finally confirmed and banished any trace of doubt lingering in his mind. But rather than feel scared as he normally might in situations like this, Fear found himself trembling with anticipation.

" _I'm finally going to get to the bottom of this"_ , he thought as he slipped out of bed and made for the recall tube, careful not to alert the others to his top secret mission. Luckily the other Emotions were sound asleep and no one noticed as the skinny purple emotion stepped into the recall tube and left Headquarters, destination: Family Island.

After a short sprint through the dark maze of Long Term Memory, he reached the bridge leading to Family Island. Although considered an overly cautious type, Fear was also a naturally curious Emotion and he felt a surge of adrenaline through his body as he ran across the bridge and made his way to the centre of the Island, which resembled a beautiful park with meadows and trees and a lone bench under a huge willow. And there, sitting on the bench patiently waiting for him to arrive was the owner of that kindly voice from his dreams…

Upon seeing him, she got up and smiled warmly, her large grey eyes staring straight into his soul. At first he stood there frozen to the spot, his mouth hanging open in wonder and shock as he returned her gaze. For a few moments they remained like this, taking in the sight of each other as Fear's mind raced with a million questions: _How is this possible?! Is she real?! She can't be real! Am I dreaming?! That's it I must be dreaming…?!_

Realising his confusion, her smile only grew wider and she opened her arms in an invitation to come to her while speaking in that kind and gentle voice, "Fear! My how you've grown! It's okay sweetheart, don't be afraid of me. I just wanted to see you again!"

Before he knew what to think, Fear found his legs moving forward of their own will as his mind tried to process what he was seeing. His breath was coming out in sharp exhalations and his heart was beating so hard that he thought his chest would burst. But before long his shock gave way to recognition and he felt tears of joy running down his face as he began running towards her at full speed, the biggest smile on his face as he crumpled into her loving embrace.

Xxx

Now he felt that same smile tug at his lips as he anticipated meeting her again. Since that first night, they had rendezvoused in secret twice and tonight would mark their third meeting. He still had so many questions to ask her and he knew that one night would not be sufficient to answer all of them. But he already knew the answer to a very important one: _How would he know when she wanted to see him again?_

The dream messages had continued after making that first face to face contact with her, although she had admitted that sending such messages telepathically was difficult and draining on her, both mentally and physically. Instead there was another way of letting him know that she was around and she had presented a special gift to him during their last get-together.

Now Fear reached into his bedside drawers and pulled out his most prized possession. At first glance it looked like any other purple memory orb that Riley's mind produced whenever he was at the controls of the main console. But this was no ordinary memory orb. Its surface glistened far more vibrantly than any memory orb he had seen before and instead of showing a scene from a moment in Riley's life, it had a symbol on it that resembled the curly axon on top of his head…the mark of his kind, Fear.

Fear studied it and carefully traced a long finger across its shiny surface and it showed a scene of Family Island from that night she had given it to him. She had gone on to explain that whenever she was present in Riley's mind, the colour of the memory orb would glow extra bright like the flash of a purple lightning bolt and it would generate heat as it detected her presence.

Holding the orb close to his chest, Fear felt the warmth radiate through him and he knew that the time had come. Placing the memory orb gently back into his drawer again he braced himself for the potential gauntlet he might have to face as he prepared to depart.

Fear knew that if he got caught, he would be in HUGE trouble. The other emotions would definitely not approve of his actions and the thought made him shudder. Anger would probably beat him up, Disgust would call him some nasty names and even Joy would be disappointed in him if she found out what he was about to do. The only emotion that might show him some sympathy would be Sadness, as she alone knew his most treasured secret, but then again, it was in Sadness' nature to comfort others so Fear could never tell for sure if she truly understood the importance of his need to do this, or if she was simply doing her job.

But although he was about to break possibly the biggest taboo an emotion could break, Fear felt strangely calm. The sensation of panic and caution that normally took hold of him was absent tonight as he thought about what was to come.

Unable to stand the wait any longer, the purple emotion glanced at his bedside clock and saw that it was nearly midnight.

 _Okay, here I go!_

Stifling a little squeal of delight, Fear sat up and got out of bed. He quickly changed out of his pyjamas into his usual clothes and headed for his bedroom door. As he opened the door he paused to listen one last time to make sure the other emotions were sound asleep.

The only sound he heard was Anger's loud snoring coming from the next room and the occasional curse word as the Red emotion dreamed about something unfair happening to Riley or perhaps not being able to find his newspaper. Whatever it was, Fear knew that if Anger caught him sneaking out tonight, he would never hear the end of it.

Normally he would be freaking out just thinking about what could happen as Anger was known to show no mercy towards the purple emotion in the past. But tonight he simply didn't care of the consequences. This was something he HAD to do. For once not for Riley, but for himself…

Not that he would put his own happiness above Riley's. As an emotion, his very purpose in life is to protect Riley at all costs and he would never do anything to place her in danger, be it directly or inadvertently…

 _No. Riley will be fine. I'll only be gone for a little while…_ Fear reassured himself as he hurried past Anger's room and down the ramp leading to the main room of Headquarters.

He paused before crossing the room to the library section where the recall tube was waiting to take him to his destination. Fear looked anxiously to the couch where Sadness was on Dream Duty and held his breath.

" _Oh no! I had forgotten that Sadness has Dream Duty tonight! What if she sees me!?"_ Fear gulped and tentatively strode into the open. He was expecting her to look up and question him as to why he wasn't sleeping but instead he felt his shoulders relax and let out a huge sigh of relief when he noticed that she was asleep like the others.

The dream had ended a while ago and the view screen was now black as Sadness sat propped up on the couch, her chin drooping on her chest and breathing quietly.

Rolling his eyes to the ceiling as if to say 'thank goodness', Fear made his way to the recall tube and pressed the button on the wall to activate it. As he waited for the tube to descend from the ceiling, he looked out over the dark and silent Islands Of Personality and instantly his eyes fell on his destination. Family Island beckoned to him silently as small lights shone at its borders.

The Island had expanded since Riley began her new life in San Francisco, and was a symbol of her most treasured moments spent with her parents. Looking at it made Fear's heart glow with anticipation. This was a very special Island for him too, for out there _she_ would be eagerly awaiting him, just as she promised…

This thought was strong enough to banish any nervous feelings he had about going outside at night and Fear turned around and stepped into the recall tube. Before he pushed the button that would suck him upwards and out of Headquarters, he took a moment to imagine all the wonderful things that would occur when he was reunited with her.

Every time they were together he didn't feel like a coward, spooking at his own shadow. She was always there to lend comfort and a kind word whenever things seemed too scary. She gave the warmest hugs and her eyes were filled with pure love, something he felt to his very core just being in her presence.

She made him know that he was the centre of her world and in turn she was everything to him.

Fear pressed the button with his foot and the tube closed around him. He closed his eyes and felt the rush of wind pull him upwards as he was sucked out of Headquarters.

" _I can't wait to see you again, Mother!"_ was the thought that flashed through his mind as Fear was transported through the pipe and into Long Term Memory.

Xxx

 **Author's note:** This idea has been playing in my head ever since I first saw the movie, and I have now seen it so many times that I lost count! I know that in the first scene, it shows Joy materializing out of nothingness when Riley was born, but I have kept asking myself: Where do the Emotions really come from and how are they created? That energy has to originate from somewhere right?

So I have my own theory that when Riley was conceived, her Emotions may have been created from the combined energies of the Emotions in the minds of her mother and father. And while Riley's mom was pregnant, Riley's future Emotions maybe lived inside the mother's mind alongside the female Emotions – _their_ mothers! But once Riley was born, her Emotions were sent into her mind never to see their parents again. But what if there was a way for them to reunite at least occasionally? Maybe it's stupid, but it's just a thought…


	2. Mother Knows Best

Chapter 2.

Sadness awoke with a start when she heard the sound of the recall tube being activated. She hadn't intended to doze off during Dream Duty and had no idea how long she had slept. She did remember that Riley's dream had been a short one, mostly consisting of the many happy moments the girl had experienced that day, replaying in slow motion as they tended to do whenever it was Sadness' turn to watch over Riley as she slept.

Still she couldn't help feeling guilty that she had fallen asleep on the job. She was supposed to intervene and wake up Riley if the girl started to have nightmares, otherwise she would not get the rest she needed and her performance the next day would be affected.

" _And that would be sad…"_ Sadness thought remorsefully as she adjusted her glasses which had slid down her nose as a result of her recent sleeping position.

Sighing the blue Emotion eased herself off the couch and shuffled over to where the whooshing sound of the recall tube had drawn her attention. Even before she reached the spot by the window where the tube had descended moments ago, she didn't expect to find anyone there.

Still she was pretty sure she knew what had happened even though no one was supposed to know about Fear's midnight excursions. She wasn't even sure that Fear himself knew that _she_ had worked it out, and not wanting to frighten or upset him, she had chosen to remain discreet about the issue.

Besides, it wasn't her place to judge him for his actions. In fact, she thought he was very lucky to have actually made contact with his mother and she didn't want to spoil the experience for him.

Sadness stood at the window overlooking the Islands of Personality and focused her attention on Family Island. She couldn't see the two Emotions from here, but she could imagine them down there, relishing every second spent in each other's company and she couldn't help feeling a pang of longing in her chest.

Placing her stout little hands against the glass, she tried to imagine what it would be like to meet her own parents. Did they look just like her and have the same melancholy approach to everything in life like she did? Were they good listeners like her and did they offer advice whenever others were in need of comfort? Did they ever feel rejected by the other Emotions for the negativity they represented in people's lives?

All these questions ran through Sadness' mind as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. But it wasn't any of these thoughts that made her feel the familiar and inevitable lead up to a crying fit coming on. It was the one thought that stood out to her the most that finally set her off: _"Do they even want to meet me?"_

Unable to control her sorrow any more, Sadness gave in and let the tears fall freely as she slid to the floor and wept.

Xxx

Meanwhile on Family Island, fear was feeling sheer delight as he raced to their usual rendezvous spot under the big willow tree. But as he neared the centre of the Island, a tiny sliver of doubt began to enter his mind.

" _What if she forgot that we were going to meet tonight?"_ He drew a sharp breath and tried to push the thought away.

No. She had promised him that she would make it no matter what, and she definitely seemed like an Emotion of her word. Besides she had already visited him twice before tonight, and Fear had no reason to doubt that she wouldn't show up now.

He felt annoyed with himself for letting such a thought enter his mind and took the last corner of the winding pathway at a flat out sprint, surely an impressive sight as Fear could run very fast indeed.

He wasn't disappointed. She was standing underneath the willow, waiting expectantly for him to arrive. Fear slammed on the brakes and slid to a stop only feet from her. By now he was panting and needed a few moments to regain his breath following his mad dash, and it didn't help that the sight of her still took his breath away every time they met.

Like most Emotions, Fear had been lead to believe that he was alone in this mind world that he lived in and that the chances of him ever encountering another Fear Emotion like himself were beyond remote. In fact it was considered purely the stuff of fantasy, something that might be conjured up in the dreams of a lonely Emotion as a type of self-reassurance but nothing more.

But he could not deny the living proof that stood before him right now. The only thing he found more remarkable than that was the fact that this very Emotion was actually his _mother_ , a concept he was still struggling to fully wrap his mind around. Perhaps he should be feeling cautious as was his nature when faced with something new and unfamiliar. But deep down, he was elated at the prospect of finally meeting someone that could truly understand him on a level he had never dreamed possible, and this was enough to banish any usual concerns and for once allow him to throw caution to the wind.

Now as he started walking towards her, his mind noted everything about her, storing the information into his Long Term memory just in case something happened that should cause them to become separated again in the future. This time he would be prepared. He would remember her no matter what…

She was just like a female version of himself, tall and slender, with the same grey eyes and purple complexion. She wore a lavender and white coloured sweater/vest with a pattern of pink hearts around the middle and dark brown trousers. She had a pink bead necklace and long light brown hair which covered her axon.

He noticed how she kept glancing around her surroundings nervously as if expecting something to jump out at her from the shadows, but this was probably just due to her nature. She _was_ a Fear Emotion after all, despite the aura of calm she radiated towards her son.

It was one of the greatest things he admired about her. Whenever he was around her, she seemed to convert all that nervous and fearful energy into one of comfort and reassurance, and Fear wanted desperately to understand how she did it. Being so unsure of himself most of the time, he thought how wonderful it would be if he could project that same sense of security that she did, even though he realised that deep down she was probably just as nervous as he was.

Maybe it was the knowledge that he was a part of her, _literally_ , that filled him with a courage he never thought possible, or simply that undisputed love that only a mother could have for her children that caused these feelings of peace within him. Whatever the case, Fear felt with all his heart that she absolutely adored him, and for the first time in his life, he believed that he understood what it is to be loved, something he never thought possible for an Emotion like him.

Fear had to admit that he didn't like himself very much, in fact he had always considered himself to be a burden to Riley and even wondered if she was better off without him. But now after seeing how much he meant to her, she made him believe that he was worth something and that was a very comforting thought…

Upon seeing her son, the mother Emotion smiled warmly and instantly felt the tension leave her body and her posture relaxed.

Her eyes glowed with happiness as she ran to embrace him. "There you are my sweet little Fear! I've missed you so much!" she told him as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

Fear closed his eyes and returned her hug with the same enthusiasm. As he laid his head against her chest, he could hear her heart beating rapidly, something which was normal for their kind but he knew that it was also a result of their reunion. The sound filled him with comfort as he whispered, "I missed you too mother…"

 _Mother._ The word still sounded strange to him when he used it in context, but he was beginning to accept it for all it meant. For as they stood there, enjoying each other's embrace, he could feel the warmth of her body and hear the sound of her breathing, and he decided that he couldn't deny that reality any more.

"She _is real and we are actually here together!"_ Fear felt a content smile form on his lips and he sighed deeply.

After several seconds she let him go and taking hold of his arms, gazed into his eyes with fondness. Fear returned her look and prepared to ask her one of the biggest questions that had been playing on his mind since he first learned of her existence, but hadn't had the courage to ask. Now, he felt the time was right…

He gripped her shoulder tightly and taking a deep breath, asked, "Why have you not tried to contact me before? I mean don't get me wrong. I'm so grateful you're here now, but why didn't you let me know about you after all these years?"

As soon as he'd said, Fear regretted it. It's not that he was accusing her for not being there for him sooner, he was just curious as to why he and the others never knew about their parents.

But a wave of guilt washed over him when he saw his mother's kind grey eyes turn sad and the smile disappear from her face. She actually took a step back, as if he'd just punched her and quickly looked down at the ground.

Seeing her like this, Fear felt like his heart was being ripped apart. "Oh no! I didn't… didn't mean… to upset you mother! He stammered as he tried to find a way to reassure her. "I just wanted… to know why… how come… you didn't let me know sooner…"

He trailed off and sighed miserably. They had found each other after so long and now he had ruined it! That was typical of him. He always had to go and screw up everything, whether it be for Riley by overreacting and making her freak out over the smallest things, or now with his mother by blaming her for not showing up in his life sooner. Why couldn't he just learn to keep his mouth shut…?

Feeling deflated and miserable he mumbled, "I'm sorry… Just forget I said anything…" his shoulders slumped and his axon drooped as he averted his gaze from her. After all she had done for him these past few weeks, he had gone and hurt her. He should have just counted himself fortunate that she had chosen to contact him at all, not question her motives now.

But he couldn't ignore the curiosity that was burning in his mind and he sincerely hoped that she wouldn't reject him now, not after he finally found his soul mate… he knew that he would never forgive himself otherwise.

To his surprise (and intense relief), he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder, and then he heard his mother speak, her soft, kind voice tinged with sorrow, "Its okay sweetie. I know you must have so many questions and you deserve some answers. You have a right to know and I will do my best to explain everything to you. But I need you to promise me one thing…"

Fear felt her hand squeeze his shoulder a little tighter and her voice quivered as she continued, "I need you to understand that I didn't stay away because I didn't want to see you or that I don't love you."

Fear looked up at her hesitantly, but he noticed that she still refused to look at him and as she spoke her eyes had a faraway look in them as though she were recalling a painful memory and watching it replay in her mind.

He felt a lump form in his chest and a familiar sense of unease settled over him so that he began to fidget with his hands nervously. For once, his mother wasn't projecting that incredible sense of calmness that he had come to associate with her. Instead she was sending out waves of nervous energy typical of a Fear Emotion like himself but so unexpected from her that Fear was slightly taken aback by it.

Where was that unusually strong and reassuring mother he had come to know in their short time together? He desperately wanted her back!

There was an uncomfortable silence that hung in the air and it was some time before she spoke again. "Please try to understand that I never wanted to hurt you. I love you more than anything else in this world… but you see I had to stay away. Not only for your sake, but also for Riley."

Fear was so shocked by this statement that he cringed and backed away from her. What could she possible mean by that?! What had Riley anything to do with whether or not he got to see HIS mother?

Seeing her son's confused and frightened expression, the mother Emotion put on her familiar warm smile and reached out her hands to take his, which were now trembling with uncertainty. Her gentle touch soothed his nerves a little and he forced himself to look her in the eyes.

"Why…" he croaked weakly. He knew it must have sounded stupid and he wanted to say more, but already that lump that had been in his chest earlier had migrated to his throat and he was afraid that he might lose control of himself completely.

Her expression remained serious and her voice trembled slightly as she continued, "Because it is not known what effects having two of the same type of Emotion present in one mind could have on a person. For instance, the presence of TWO Fears in Riley's mind at the same time could be bad, even dangerous for her…" Fear's mother trailed off at this and looked to the ground again.

Fear himself felt his heart begin to beat faster as he processed her words and a million thoughts flashed through his mind in a second. That was the last thing he was expecting her to say. From the very first moment he had heard her voice in his dreams, Fear had felt nothing but peace and comfort from his mother, in fact she seemed so gentle that he couldn't even fathom the thought of her causing harm to anyone, least of all to Riley. It just wasn't possible…not _his_ sweet, kindly mother!

He felt a chill run down his spine as he voiced his concern, "But that can't be true! I know you would never hurt Riley! I mean you're here NOW and Riley is just fine!"

He grasped her hands tightly and looked at her pleadingly. There was a tremor in his voice as he stated, "And what about the last two times we met like this? Riley didn't show any ill effects at the time or afterwards. She didn't appear to be more scared or anything! In fact she was none the wiser!" He was becoming increasingly desperate now and started hyperventilating.

"Oh my dear little Fear. It's okay baby. Calm down." She crooned soothingly as she took him in her arms and held him close. She gently rubbed his back and his breathing began to slow to normal as he allowed her to comfort him.

She spoke in a soft voice as she explained to him, "I know you're worried about Riley and I assure you that I would never allow any harm to come to her. It's just that no one really knows what, if any effects there might be on Riley's metal wellbeing by my presence, so it was safer for me to just stay away rather than risk accidentally exposing her to any danger. Then there's the problem of me leaving my post at Headquarters, and what my continued absence could have on Riley's mother. That's why it was agreed long ago that Emotion Parents should not try to contact their children and that you'd be better off not knowing of our existence."

The mother Emotion felt a small tear forming in the corner of her own eye and she hugged Fear even tighter as she added, "But I broke that rule because ever since Riley was born and I had to let you go, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I just knew that one day I had to see you again and I was prepared to risk everything, Jill Andersen's wellbeing, Riley's safety, my reputation in the eyes of my co-emotions and even my role as a protector, the very reason Fear Emotions like us exist…"

Her voice cracked and she had to draw a deep breath before she could continue, "But it would all have been worth it if it meant that I got to spend just one day with you."

She continued to rub his back and Fear began to sob quietly as he listened, but the tears were ones of promise rather than despair. In between the tears, he pleaded desperately, "But I know that you're not a… threat to Riley… you would only want to… protect her… and whoever made those rules is wrong! Emotions have every right to see their kids! It's not fair to forbid it based on something that _might_ happen…"

But even as he said it, Fear couldn't help doubting it himself. It was his job to assess every possible scenario and then evaluate the potential risks, so as much as wanted to believe that what they were doing wasn't wrong, he found that he was having trouble convincing himself. He wanted so badly to believe that his mother was no threat to Riley, but the reality was that he just didn't know, no one did.

Then there was Riley's mom to think about too. Not once had it crossed his mind that his mother being here with him, meant that Riley's mom was currently left without her Fear. He remembered the time when Joy and Sadness had disappeared from Headquarters and the detrimental effect that had had on Riley, and wondered if his mother's absence meant that something similar was happening in Jill Andersen's mind right now. And if so, _he_ was the reason behind it…

That thought was so unsettling that Fear felt his whole body start shaking violently.

Suddenly he felt her arms tighten around him as, sensing his distress, his mother hugged him protectively as if she could shield him from all the turmoil he felt inside.

She closed her eyes and let the tears fall silently as she thought about her son's heartfelt plea. From the moment he was born, he had taken centre stage in her life. It was her responsibility to protect him and raise him to become the best possible Emotion he could be, so that he could do his future job of keeping Riley safe to the best of his ability.

And just now he had proven to her that he was doing exactly that, and she felt a surge of pride flow through her. In a way he was her own special gift to Riley, and the thought made her feel a lot better about herself.

Maybe he was right. She wasn't a threat to Riley and her presence thus far hadn't shown any negative effects whatsoever. And as for Jill, she just had to hope and believe that her co-Emotions would ensure that nothing bad would happen to her while she was away. Besides she would return to her post soon and then resume her role as protector.

But she also knew that Fear had a point: Why shouldn't Parent Emotions have a right to see their children any more than human parents should? Emotions love their children just as much as humans do and to deny them this basic right is cruel; isn't it? Maybe it's time the rules were rewritten…

The two Fear Emotions, mother and son, remained together like this for a long time, their tears gradually subsiding as they drew strength and comfort from each other. After a while Fear looked up at his mother and decided to ask another question that had been weighing on his mind.

"I couldn't help wondering, what about Joy and the others? Does this mean that they have parents too right?"

His mother smiled at the question and lightly tapped a finger on the side of her nose. "Well now, funny you should ask that…"

 **Author's Note:** This chapter was pretty hard to write and I ended up changing my mind and rewriting whole sections of it so many times before I settled on this. I wanted to find a way of explaining the many challenges that might come up if the Emotions could meet up with their parents and it was really doing my head in! The end result was a chapter that ended up far longer than I thought it would be and I hope I managed to illustrate some of the major dilemmas facing Fear and his mom for now. Hopefully they will find a way of overcoming these obstacles because I don't know about you, but I think they deserve to be happy right?

The next chapter shouldn't be as long and maybe a little on the lighter side (or in the case of Anger, EXPLOSIVE) as I'm eager to see how the other Emotions react to this whole family situation…

I would like to send out a huge thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter! Your feedback helps give me inspiration!

Svinorita


	3. To Meet Or Not To Meet

Chapter 3.

Sadness was still standing by the window as she watched the sky gradually grow lighter over the Mind World. Within Headquarters the lights had begun to flicker on slowly, indicating that Riley was awake and ready to begin the new day.

The short blue Emotion's attention was still fixed dreamily at Family Island, lost in her own waking fantasy, so she didn't register the sound of approaching footsteps until a voice shook her from her daydreams.

"Is it my imagination, or do you look even bluer than usual?" Sadness turned around and saw Disgust frowning at her, hands placed on her hips.

"Oh, Hi Disgust. It's nothing important." Sadness replied woefully as she cast her eyes to the floor."I was just thinking about something that made me feel sad thats all..."

Disgust rolled her eyes and scoffed, " _Everything_ makes you feel sad." The green Emotion folded her arms and waited for more.

Sadness however only continued to stare at the floor. Sighing with annoyance, Disgust prompted her, "Well are you going to tell me what it is or do I have to read your mind? Because seriously, you look like you just came back from a funeral."

Now Sadness was starting to feel uncomfortable. She didn't want to betray Fear's secret but she also realised that Disgust wasn't going to drop the subject until she recieved a satisfying answer. Sadness couldn't deny that deep down a part of her also wanted to share her opinions about the subject of Emotional parents with someone else. She was curious if any of the others ever thought about it like she did.

 _Maybe they did but never said anything because they were afraid of being judged?_ She thought hopefully.

Taking a deep breath, the blue Emotion looked up shyly at Disgust and ventured, "Well I was just thinking about how Riley has her parents and how they always seem so happy when they spend time togther. But what about Emotions like us...?"

She noticed that Disgust had raised an eyebrow skeptically at her and she felt her cheeks blushing.

Dropping her gaze to the floor once more, Sadness hesitantly continued, "I mean...what if...you know...maybe Emotions have parents too? And if we do, wouldn't it be nice if we could meet them sometimes...?"

There was an awkward silence that followed, only to be shattered moments later by an indignant outburst from Disgust.

"Urgh! Don't be ridiculous Sadness! Emotions don't have parents! That's the craziest thing I've ever heard!"

"But..but how can you know that for sure?" Disgust's comment had stung and Sadness felt disappointed that her fellow Emotion had dismissed the theory so harshly. "I mean haven't you ever wondered how we were really created? Everything has to come from somewhere doesn't it? Surely we are not just born into existence from nothing, right?"

Now Disgust was looking confused as the weight of Sadness' words hit her. She had to admit that the blue Emotion raised an interesting point, and it was something that she had never comprehended before. It's true that Emotions were mysterious beings and the processes involved in their creation were probably one of the most intriguing mysteries of all. But what Sadness was suggesting was so far-fetched that Disgust couldn't help disbelieving it.

Pouting, she glared at the smaller Emotion and exclaimed, "I don't know where we come from and I've never really cared. But I'm pretty sure we don't have parents. Besides if we did then how come they never let us know somehow? If they _do_ exist then why have we never seen them around, huh?"

Sadness was looking dejected. Still avoiding eye contact, she mumbled, "Just because you can't see something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist…"

"Whatever." Disgust gave up trying to reason with her friend and remarked coldly, "You tell yourself what you want, but I still think that it's absurd." Flicking her hair she turned to go and added, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Sadness felt the tears welling in her eyes and knew that she was about to slip into another one of her self-proclaimed 'sadness spirals'.

"Good morning everyone! Are you ready to make today another great day?" The unmistakably cheerful voice of Joy suddenly interrupted Sadness before she could fully immerse herself in her misery. Quickly wiping her eyes, she turned towards the sound and surely enough there was Joy coming down the ramp into the main room, closely followed by Anger who was engrossed in his newspaper and grumbling something incoherently to himself.

Disgust had moved towards the console and now she too turned her attention to the two approaching Emotions, a frown still present on her face.

Joy's smile melted as she observed the scene that greeted her. A growing sense of concern began forming in her mind and she asked, "Oh! Did I miss something? What's been happening down here?"

Behind her, Anger still had his face buried in his paper and so hadn't noticed that the yellow Emotion had come to a sudden stop at the bottom of the ramp. That is not until he walked straight into her rear…

" **Hey! Watch where I'M going**!" he snapped irritably and threw his paper down with contempt. Over by the console Disgust smirked and Joy stepped aside hastily, a mixture of surprise and embarrassment spreading over her face.

"Sorry Anger!" She answered in a hushed voice to the short red Emotion.

Mumbling something about butts and how he ought to start kicking any that got in his way from now on, Anger glared around the room and tried to take in the current situation for himself.

The tension was thick in the air as the four Emotions stared at one another uncomfortably, all of them burning with questions but apparently unsure about how to proceed. No one seemed willing to offer up the first response, so taking the initiative, Anger decided to break the silence.

"Alright. I want some answers and I want them **NOW**! So someone had better start explaining what's going on or else I'm going to crank up the heat in here!" A few embers sizzled threateningly on top of his head as if to prove that he wasn't kidding.

Disgust crossed her arms stubbornly and replied, "Well why don't you ask little miss blue over there? When I came in here this morning, I found her withdrawn and sulking even more than usual. So I asked her what was wrong, and let's just say we don't see eye to eye on the subject."

Now all eyes turned towards Sadness and she felt her shoulders slouch with despair. This was one of those times when all she wanted to do was lay on the floor and cry over the weight of life's problems. She really didn't like being the centre of everyone's focus but she knew that there was no avoiding the inevitable. It was only a matter of time before the others found out her secret and now they expected answers, which they would get one way or another.

Sighing miserably, she forced herself to look up at the others and offered meekly, "Well I was just thinking about the possibility of Emotions having parents and how nice it would be if we could meet them one day."

As she spoke, she surveyed the faces of her friends and the reactions she received did nothing to boost her confidence… Their expressions ranged from a look of thoughtfulness from Joy, to the same scowl of disbelief from Disgust, to dumbfounded shock from Anger, who looked for all the world as if she had just proclaimed that she would like to eat her own head.

She looked away shyly and started twisting the hem of her sweater nervously as she added, "But Disgust is probably right. Emotions don't have parents. It was just a dumb thought and I'm sorry for bringing it up…"

There was a long silence and she waited while the others processed her words. She expected them to laugh at her and probably make jokes at her expense, but to her surprise, it was Joy who spoke up first.

"Actually I don't think it's dumb at all Sadness. In fact I think it's a really interesting suggestion." The yellow Emotion turned to face Anger and Disgust and commented, "There are still so many things that we don't understand about the world. I've never given it much thought before, but who's to say that it can't be true?"

As she spoke, Joy shot a look of disapproval at Disgust who was glaring at her cynically. The green Emotion shrugged dismissively, but Joy thought that she saw a glimmer of guilt pass through the other Emotion's eyes. Joy understood that Disgust didn't intend to be mean to Sadness, she was just very opinionated by nature and once she made up her mind about something, it would take a lot of convincing to make her see otherwise.

Returning her attention back to the others, Joy continued, "We might never find out for sure but I think we should at least be open to the possibility of it."

She glanced over at Sadness, who had a grateful look on her face. Joy smiled warmly at her and said, "Besides, wouldn't it be awesome if it turns out to be true? What if we do have parents out there and we managed to find a way of meeting them somehow? I'd bet they'd be just as curious to see us as we would be to see them!"

Joy let out a giggle of excitement and exclaimed, "I know that _I_ would be thrilled to see them! Oh I wonder what my folks would be like?! It would be so exciting to get together and exchange positive tips on how to spread more happiness to everyone!"

Joy was working herself up into a hyperactive state of ecstasy and was soon dancing with glee as she dreamed of the endless possibilities such a reunion could offer. As usual her optimism was contagious to those around her.

Disgust looked thoughtful for a moment then stated, "I'm still not buying this whole _'Emotions having parents'_ thing… but suppose that hypothetically you're right and it turns out to be true, then I guess it _would_ be interesting to meet up."

"Besides, if I do have a mom or dad out there, I'm sure I could give them some very useful fashion tips!" She said this last part with confidence and conviction, as if she was certain that their fashion sense was in desperate need of her approval.

She smiled smugly to herself and mused, "Yeah. With my help I'd have them looking their best in no time!"

Suddenly the green Emotion got a mischievous glint in her eye and she addressed the others in a serious tone, "Of course having the whole Disgust family together might not be so good for the _rest_ of you. Can you imagine if we all got really grossed out about something and started barfing at the same time?! There wouldn't be enough buckets from the collective minds of Riley _and_ her parents to contain the mess!"

The other Emotions all looked uneasy as they tried to comprehend such a scenario. But Disgust quickly realised that her graphic observation had backfired and it was SHE that found herself holding down a wave of nausea as gross images flashed through her mind.

"Urgh! On second thought don't try to picture that! It's too disgusting…"

Joy chuckled and tried to reassure her. "Oh come on, I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad!"

Next to her Anger remarked, "Huh! Not that bad you say? What if me and my old man happened to get into a heated argument eh? The result would be a bigger explosion than the volcano that wiped out Pompeii!" As he said this, he slowly clenched and unclenched his fists as if he could already imagine giving his father a piece of his mind.

Joy and Sadness both flinched at the prospect of an Anger father and son showdown. "Yikes…you have a point there Anger." Joy admitted.

But true to her nature she quickly managed to find the lighter side of the situation and offered, "But I'm sure it wouldn't come to that! I bet your dad would be willing to offer some helpful advice. And who knows? He might even have some tips on how to control your temper and not be, you know, so impulsive all the time…?"

She trailed off as she noticed that Anger was grinding his teeth and looking up at her dangerously.

Through gritted teeth he spoke slowly, "So you think I'm impulsive, huh Joy? Can't control my temper you say?"

He took a step closer to her, steam beginning to rise from his head. "How about I show just how **rational** I can be!"

Now a few red hot embers began forming on his head and Joy was beginning to understand how the people of Pompeii must have felt when they realised that Mount Vesuvius was about to blow and they were right in the path of destruction.

She gulped and backed away from the fiery red Emotion. Thinking fast she put on a nervous smile and raised her hands in a gesture of peace. "You're right Anger, I didn't mean to call you irrational. I know that you care very deeply about things being fair and you have your own way of ensuring that the rules are followed. It's something I really admire about you! You are such an independent Emotion and I'm sorry if I offended you!"

She gave him an apologetic smile.

Anger huffed indignantly and pointed a stubby red finger at Sadness. "And what about her then? If her parents turn out to be anything like her then we'd all be in for it! With all the crying that would take place, we might need to consider building a Noah's Ark around here just in case!"

Joy shot a quick glance over at Sadness, who was looking down at her feet timidly. The blue Emotion said quietly, "I guess having so much sadness in one place would be a bad thing wouldn't it? Maybe it's for the better that I shouldn't get to meet my parents after all."

Joy felt her heart breaking at these words. She walked over to her friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure your parents are great and they would love to see you!"

Sadness met her eye and gave the yellow Emotion a weak smile. Joy smiled back encouragingly and added, "Besides, out of all of us you have always seemed like the peacekeeper around here. When we all need advice or comfort you are the first one we turn to and I bet your parents have similar qualities to you. So I think having your folks around would actually be a good thing, not only for you, but for the rest of us as well."

Now the blue Emotion was looking at her hopefully and her smile seemed to grow a bit wider, if only for a fleeting moment. "You really think so?"

Joy nodded energetically. "Yeah, I do."

A feeling of understanding passed between the two Emotions as they basked in each other's friendship.

Suddenly it struck Joy that while they had been so preoccupied by this whole family discussion, she and the others had failed to notice that one Emotion was still absent from the group this morning.

She glanced around the room quickly and inquired, "Where is Fear? Shouldn't he be down here by now?"

Anger and Disgust both exchanged confused looks as if they too had just noticed the purple Emotion's absence.

"Actually I haven't seen the beanpole since yesterday evening." Anger said flatly.

"It's not like him at all to be late for morning regroup." Disgust added.

They all knew that Fear was normally the first Emotion to be up and about in the mornings, seeing as how he rarely slept through the whole night due to his frequent nightmares.

A slight look of concern appeared on Joy's face. "That's very odd and so unlike him. Where could he have gone to?"

She looked to Sadness for an answer, but the blue Emotion just shrugged and turned her gaze to the window. "Maybe he went for an early run in Imagination Land or through Long Term?" She offered quietly.

They all knew that sometimes when he couldn't sleep, Fear liked to go for a run out in Imagination Land. Running was something he excelled at. In fact he was the fastest Emotion of all. They were not sure exactly what it was that he found so enjoyable about running, but it seemed to have a calming effect on the purple Emotion.

Maybe he felt that if he ran fast enough, he could leave all his troubles behind, secure in the knowledge that at full speed, there was nothing in the Mind World that could catch him?

Or maybe it was his way of letting off some pent up energy?

Maybe he simply did it to make himself tired in the hopes that if he were exhausted enough, he wouldn't have time for nightmares?

"Maybe…" replied Joy. "But he doesn't normally go out at night, especially not by himself."

Sadness didn't say anything more. She did not want to reveal Fear's secret to the others, even though she had already mentioned the prospect of Emotions having parents. She had been careful not to directly imply a link between Fear and the subject and thankfully the other Emotions hadn't grilled her as to how she had gotten the idea in the first place.

Although it was out in the open now, she realised that they didn't take the whole thing very seriously. To them it was highly improbable that something like that could really happen.

But if they found out that Fear had actually made contact, she wasn't sure how they might react…

Sadness was thinking about what she should say next, when the sound of a recall tube activating interrupted her thoughts. She and the others looked toward the spot where the main tube was situated and surely enough, there was Fear himself, looking very uncomfortable as he realised that all eyes were staring at him.

His axon drooped submissively and he gulped to settle the fluttering feeling in his stomach as he ventured, "Hey guys…sorry I'm late…what did I miss?"

 **Author's Note:** Okay. I know I said this chapter should be shorter than the last one. I always start with a few ideas that I scribble on a piece of paper and it doesn't look that long at first. But when I actually begin putting it all into story format and adding all the conversations and stuff, it somehow ends up being far longer than I expected!

Out of all the Emotions, I find Disgust the most difficult to connect with. Don't get me wrong I do like her character, I just find it harder to write about her than I do with the other Emotions. I hope I didn't make her appear too mean to Sadness! Please let me know if I didn't do her justice in this chapter!

To everyone who has read this story so far: May your Joy bring you love and happiness. Allow your Fear to keep you safe. Let Disgust bring flair and glamor into your life. Let Sadness give you comfort and acceptance. And finally, don't turn your Anger into hate and vengeance, just allow him to let off some steam every now and then!

Svinorita


	4. Moms Just Wanna Have Fun!

Chapter 4.

Jill Andersen woke up early this morning feeling a little strange. She had no idea what had come over her lately as she headed downstairs towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her family.

Now Jill was normally such a responsible and sensible woman, but lately she found herself feeling more daring than usual. She couldn't quite understand what it was that compelled her to feel this way but she knew that something was amiss when a few weeks ago she was reading a travel magazine about Africa and suddenly had a strong urge that she wanted to go and climb Mount Kilimanjaro…

The feeling had passed later in the day so she didn't think much of it at the time…until it happened again a few weeks later. This time she felt like she wanted to go skydiving, in spite of the fact that she was scared of heights! But just like the first time, the feeling passed and by the next morning she was back to her usual reasonable self.

Why did she feel so _fearless_ all of a sudden? Thankfully her husband Bill and her 12 year old daughter Riley didn't seem to notice her odd behavior recently and if they did, they didn't mention anything. So Jill decided to keep it to herself.

Now that strange sense of fearlessness had returned to her once again and Jill decided that today she was going to do something even more daring than mountain climbing or skydiving… today she decided that she would change her image!

The idea came to her while she was making pancakes and listening to the radio playing the song "Purple Rain" by Prince. She made up her mind then and there that she would go to the hairdressers and cut her hair shorter. _And maybe add some purple streaks as well?_

Xxx

Fear's mother returned to Headquarters in Jill's mind full of happiness after visiting her beloved son. She hoped that her fellow Emotions wouldn't demand to know the reasons behind her unusually prolonged absence this morning, so she tried to sneak into Headquarters as discreetly as possible.

However any hopes of returning to her position quietly were quickly shattered as soon as she noticed the scene that greeted her upon her arrival.

Her Co-Emotions were all gathered around the main monitor, watching the screen with various degrees of concern.

' _Oh No! Did something terrible happen while I was away from my duty?!'_ Fear's mother swallowed back a mixture of guilt and dread as she hurried over to the others to see what was going on.

The view that greeted her showed Jill someplace with tiled floors and walls decorated with pictures of people sporting all kinds of fashionable hairstyles. There seemed to be a lot of background noise and the steady droning sound of many people talking at the same time. Jill herself was seated in front of a mirror while an attractive young woman hovered around her, chatting away excitedly about hairdos and showing her images of different shades of hair colors from a pamphlet.

For some bizarre reason, Jill kept coming back to a picture of a blonde lady with bright purple streaks in her hair, and everyone heard the enthusiastic young woman that was with her comment on how that was a very popular choice and she reckoned that it would look fabulous on Jill!

Now, Fear's mother was a pretty smart Emotion and she quickly put two and two together and realized that Jill must be at the hairdressers for some reason. Plus the piles of hair all over the floor served as a big giveaway too.

All she could do was stare blankly at the screen for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality must have only been a few seconds, unable to shake the feeling that this whole situation was directly the result of her absence. In fact she was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't notice that all the other Emotions were now staring at _her_ suspiciously.

Finally it was Disgust's mother who broke the uneasy silence. Crossing her arms, she declared sarcastically "Well, well look who decided to show up! And where have you been this morning O ' Cautious One?"

Fear's mom slowly turned to face the other Emotions, her eyes wide with concern and unable to control the slight trembling that was working its way down her spine and into her very core.

"Well…I…I…you see…I was just um….going over some safety precautions for the day and…I…kind of lost track of the time…so…." She trailed off hopelessly and looked down to the floor, preparing herself for the onslaught of questions that her colleagues would throw at her.

From the far end of the console, Anger's mom narrowed her eyes and demanded in her loud gravelly voice, "Yeah! You have been missing in action a lot lately! Maybe you could explain the meaning of this!" She pointed a fat red finger at the monitor, which was now showing Jill staring at herself in the mirror and trying to get a word in every now and then as the overly-excited hairdresser rushed about her, snipping off what seemed like a copious amount of hair while prattling on like a machine gun.

Anger's mom shot an annoyed glare at the screen. "Gosh! Does that woman ever need to stop to breathe?!"

Fear's mother cringed visibly and bit her lip with trepidation. She knew that the day would come when the others found out about her little secret and she had tried to mentally prepare herself for what she would tell them when the time came. But now that she was actually faced with the situation, she didn't know what to do!

She always appeared brave and calm in front of her son, but she felt anything but that at the moment. In fact all she wanted to do right now was crawl under the couch and hide from her Co-Emotions until things settled down or they lost interest in her!

After all, she was only breaking the biggest taboo in the history of the Emotional World! Her colleagues would probably deem her insane and send her to be locked up in the Subconscious!

But a part of her dared to hope that maybe they will be thrilled when they find out the truth. If only they could experience for themselves that magical moment with their own children that she felt whenever she got to visit her son! Maybe then they would decide that what she was doing wasn't so wrong and forgive her for abandoning her post…

Just thinking about being with her son filled her with confidence and she met the expectant eyes of her coworkers with newfound determination. Let them judge her all they want! She knew with all her heart that what she was doing was right, so who cares what the others think?! She would fight with every particle of her being to be with her son!

' _I have to do this for Fear!'_ was the thought that drove her as she took a deep breath and started talking, her voice losing any trace of nervousness and sounding dangerously level, "Actually I have been spending time away from my duties lately because there is someone very special out there who needs me even more than Jill."

She paused to survey the stunned faces of her Co-Emotions as the weight of her words hit them. They all looked like they had just seen a ghost! Even Anger and Disgust's mothers, both of whom were always ready with some snide comment or reprimand for her, were utterly speechless now!

Joy's mom shifted uncomfortably in her seat and whispered "What…do you mean Fearess?"

Fear's mom smiled inwardly at this. She liked to think that she got along equally well with all her coworkers, (most of the time anyway!) But out of all of them, she always regarded Joy's mother as her closest friend. It's just that the bubbly yellow Emotion had always been so kind and sympathetic towards her, and whenever things got too stressful and her purple coworker found herself on the verge of panic, she would go out of her way to cheer her up and reassure her.

Given this, its little surprise that over time the two of them had forged a strong bond.

 _Fearess_ was an affectionate nickname given to her by Joy's mother and hearing her say it now in spite of the threatening tone she had just used on them, calmed her down slightly. It made her believe that no matter how the others took the news, she could always rely on Joy's mom to support her decision.

Fear's mother softened her gaze and the harsh edge left her voice as she addressed them, "Try to understand that I would never do anything to neglect my duty to protect Jill."

She looked down at her feet shyly. "But have any of you ever felt like there is something very important missing from your lives?"

She tried to ignore the confused looks she was getting and explained, "I mean have you ever had the feeling that there's someone special who needs you even more than Jill does?" She placed a hand over her heart and emphasized, "Someone that is literally a part of you is calling out for your guidance and you can no longer ignore the need to answer that call?"

The silence hung in the air like fog as Fear's mom waited apprehensively for them to process her words. That overwhelming sense of courage that had taken hold of her moments ago was beginning to dissipate and she was on the verge of panic as her instincts kicked in, warning her that danger was imminent.

She was desperately hoping that the other Emotions were able to figure out exactly what she was implying without the need for her to spell it out for them. That way they might be more accepting of her predicament and less judgmental…

To her great surprise it was Sadness' mom, who had remained silent throughout the whole morning, who offered to voice her thoughts first.

"Actually, now that you mention it I have been feeling like something was missing for some time." The others all turned to look at the short blue Emotion with interest. She was Jill's lead Emotion just like Joy was Riley's, so whenever she had something to say, they all tended to pay attention.

Sadness' mom had a thoughtful look on her face as she continued, "It felt almost is if _someone_ was trying to tell me something but the message couldn't get through properly." She lowered her eyes to the console in front of her and absent-mindedly began running her hand over its smooth surface.

"It was kind of like a faded memory that was trying to be recalled, but something was preventing it from playing back. I've been trying to work out what it could mean, but for some reason the thought makes me feel so sad…" Tears were starting to appear in the blue Emotion's eyes and her voice became laced with sorrow.

"Now I feel like I just want to lay down and cry…" She began to sob quietly as the others listened in deep thought.

Disgust's mom furrowed her brow and the corners of her mouth turned down distastefully. "Actually I _do_ seem to recall feeling sort of uncomfortable for about 8 or 9 months around the time when Jill was pregnant with Riley…"She trailed off and suddenly a look of horror appeared on her face.

With eyes wide, she looked to Fear's mom and exclaimed, "NO! Are you saying what I think you're saying?!"

Fear's mother gave her a knowing smile and the slightest of nods.

Joy's mother was silent for a moment, then as she met her purple friend's eye an enormous grin crept its way slowly across her face and her eyes lit up with elation. "Is it really true?! Are you saying that we really have children out there?!"

Fear's mother returned her friend's smile and nodded with more conviction.

Joy's mom squealed with delight and jumped right out of her seat, rushing over to her purple companion and giving her the biggest of hugs. "This is just the most wonderful news ever! To think that there's someone else like me in Riley's mind helping to spread joy to her life!"

Anger's mom snorted with bemusement. "ME?! HAVE A KID?! I DON'T THINK SO! DO I LOOK LIKE THE MOTHERING TYPE TO YOU?!" She puffed out her chest and glared menacingly at the others.

"I like to think of myself as a tough, outspoken chick that don't take no nonsense from anyone! There's no way you'd catch me making a fuss over some whining, angry little brat!"

Disgust's mother was equally unimpressed with this news. "And there is NO WAY I would ruin my figure!" She glanced down at her slim waist and looked like she wanted to barf. "HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?! Surely I would remember something as obvious as being PREGNANT!"

Fear's mom shuddered slightly at this but tried to maintain her composure. _She_ remembered all right…It was the most terrifying experience of her entire life, not being in total control of her body during that time and the ever present fear that something would go wrong with her baby and she would be unable to protect him…

But it had turned out perfectly in the end and as soon as she'd laid eyes on him, she knew that it had all been worth it!

Now she gently disengaged herself from Mother Joy's embrace and replied solemnly, "We are not meant to remember the birth of our children any more than they are meant to remember us. As soon as Riley was born we parted ways with them and all memories we had of them up to this point were wiped from our minds immediately after."

From over by the console, Sadness' mother wailed, "Ohh, That's devastating! To have someone you love so much and then lose them forever…" She began weeping loudly.

The smile melted away from Mother Joy's face and she inquired with bewilderment, "But why does the memory fade in the first place? Why are we not supposed to remember our children?"

She looked deep into the gentle grey eyes of Fear's mother and asked her, "How do you _know_ all of this Fearess?"

The purple Emotion gulped nervously and taking a shuddering breath she replied, "I don't understand exactly _how_ it happens but I think I know _why._ Emotions are not meant to travel freely between two minds…

She noticed that Disgust and Anger's mothers were glaring at her questioningly and she quickly added, "At least not for prolonged periods of time."

"Because the effects on a person's mind from being exposed to multiple Emotions of the same type could be dangerous, maybe even life-threatening… I believe that in order to avoid such a scenario, Emotions began consciously suppressing any memories that could be harmful to our hosts, and over time this became normal. But every once in a while some Emotions just can't let go of certain memories…even if it is meant for the better…"

"Every now and then an Emotion mother holds on to the memory of her child and she remembers, even though she is not supposed to, right?" The voice came from Sadness' mother, who had stopped crying and was listening to Fear's mother with compassion.

The purple Emotion looked over to her blue coworker and nodded in agreement. "Yes I believe so."

"So that's what happened to you?" Joy's mother asked softly.

Fear's mom looked down guiltily and replied, "Yes. I remembered my son and I chose to break the rule and risk the safety of both Jill and Riley to see him again."

She turned to face the others and her eyes were full of sincerity as she pleaded, "Look. I know that what I have been doing behind your backs was wrong and it goes against everything I am supposed to do as an Emotion… but please I hope you can all understand that as a _mother_ , whose child was reaching out to her for comfort, I could not ignore his needs any longer." Tears were slowly working their way down her face and she started to tremble from grief.

"Oh fearess honey." She felt the gentle reassuring hand of Joy's mother touching her forearm as the other said, "We don't blame you for your actions…at least I know that I don't." She shot a warning glance at her coworkers, but none of them dared to oppose her.

"In fact I'm so happy for you that you were able to contact your son! I bet he was delighted to see you, wasn't he?"

The purple Emotion nodded fondly at the memory and replied, "He sure was! It was the most wonderful day of my life to be able to see him again!" She smiled warmly at all of them and offered, "And I'm sure all of your children would love to see you as well…and you should try to make contact with them like I did. I assure you that you won't regret it!"

"Yes but how?" Joy's mom inquired gently. "How did you manage to do it Fearess?"

The purple Emotion took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "You have to _believe_ in them to establish a mental connection with your child. Then you should be able to send them messages in their dreams. At least that's what I did."

She looked away nervously before saying in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "It helps if your child feels the same way about wanting to meet you, because if they believe in _you_ then the mental communication will be stronger."

Sadness' mom was listening with intent interest and now she realized that she understood what had been happening all along. If what Fear's mother was saying was true, then it could explain those foggy messages she had been receiving in her mind lately.

' _Does that mean that my child has been trying to contact me all this time?'_ the thought made the blue Emotion feel unbelievably sad, but at the same time it filled her with determination.

"I think we should give it a try." She announced suddenly. The others all turned to look at her with apprehension. As lead Emotion in Jill's mind, her words held power and they all took her decisions very seriously.

She straightened up and said in a calm voice, "After all it is our duty not only to serve Jill, but as mothers ourselves to be there for our children. And right now they are reaching out to us and we have been too ignorant to notice."

All the mother Emotions save for Fear's looked down guiltily, knowing that it was true. One by one they all nodded and agreed that their leader was right. The time for ignorance was over and despite the potential risks, they had to at least try.

"Hold on a minute!" All eyes turned to Anger's mother who was glaring irritably. "If we really do have kids, then that must mean… **HOLY CHAR-GRILLED RIBS!** Do we have _MEN?!"_

The other Emotions seemed taken aback by this. That thought hadn't even entered the equation until now!

"You know, Mrs. Grumpy over there has a point." Admitted Joy's mom.

"Urgh! That's revolting!" Disgust's mother interjected, bringing a hand up to her mouth as her gag reflex set in. "I think my lunch is coming back up! Just the thought of those hairy, smelly creatures with moustaches…?!"

"I suppose it's only logical that if we couldn't remember that we have children, then we also can't remember their fathers' right?" Sadness' mom suggested hesitantly.

They all turned their attention back to Fear's mother, who shrugged innocently and stated, "I'm sorry but I don't have any advice for you about that."

She meant it too. Her recollection of meeting Fear's father was vague, and the parts which she could piece together were not very pleasant… _something about him declaring how she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen? She was pretty sure that she had taken one look at him, screamed in fright and run around the room madly, while he proceeded to chase her and call out how much he loved her and how destiny had brought them together…_

She shuddered and tried to shake the thought from her mind. "Maybe there's a reason why we shouldn't remember the fathers…" But already an idea was forming in her mind and she grimaced slightly. She wasn't too keen on it but maybe…just maybe…

"On the other hand, we might need their help in making this work." This statement surprised her as much as the others, and they all stared at her quizzically.

"Um…Just how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Disgust's mother ventured, her voice full of contempt.

" **Yeah! I'm not going to have some hot-headed old grouch tell me what to do!"** Anger's mom declared, the top of her head beginning to smolder. **"I'll reduce him to a pile of cinders if he even looks at me the wrong way!"**

"Oh, I'm sure they're not that bad!" Joy's mom encouraged. "After all, our children are a part of _them_ too!"

"She's right." Sadness' mother agreed. "Besides if we do manage to contact our little ones, they will probably want to know about their fathers as well as their moms. Not to mention that the Father Emotions might be curious to find out that they have children and wonder how come we get to see them and they don't…"

The others all mumbled in resignation. They couldn't argue with the logic in that…

Xxx

Later on that evening, Riley and her father both got a huge surprise when they saw the new and improved Jill Andersen. Sitting around the dinner table they kept staring speechlessly at her daring new hairdo which was sticking up in a choppy fashion with random purple streaks here and there.

Riley thought her mother looked like a Glam Rock singer from the 80s, whereas Bill joked that she reminded him of one of those troll dolls from his youth.

"At least she didn't choose to get a Mohawk…" He whispered to his daughter when Jill's back was turned.

Jill herself was having second-thoughts about her new look. It seems that Reckless Jill from this morning had left the building and Responsible Jill was back in charge…something that strangely enough, coincided with the return of Fear's mom.

Inside Headquarters, the mother Emotions were gazing in wonder at Riley and her dad through the main monitor, for once not just seeing the people in front of them. Instead they were trying to imagine what the Emotions inside their respective minds; one set their children and the other their male counterparts, were doing right now. Perhaps they were also looking at Jill and wondering the same thing about them?

After dinner Jill was doing the dishes when Joy's mom had an idea to lift everyone's spirits. Smiling excitedly to herself, the mother Emotion pressed a few buttons on the console and influenced their host to play the song "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper.

Feeling pleased with her choice the yellow Emotion looked over at her coworkers and for once, noted that they all seemed to be in agreement.

 **Author's Note:** Well I hope you all had fun with the moms! We will meet the handsome dads soon as well, but next time let's check in on the kids and see what they've been up to!

But before I get to any of that, I'd like to try out an idea for a TearBrick story requested to me by the wonderfully generous Orangebird124…Thank you so much for your ongoing support and I hope you'll enjoy what I've managed to come up with!

Now allow me to go a little Forrest Gump on you with this message: "My mamma always said that Emotions are like a box of chocolates…You never know what you are going to unwrap! It may be a fiery red cherry in rum, some sweet yellow caramel, a crunchy green pistachio, a classy lavender flavored bon-bon, or maybe blue…blue…blueberry? So keep on unwrapping and enjoy!

Svinorita


	5. Will Our Hearts Align?

Chapter 5.

A couple of nights after Jill's Emotions had learned the truth about their children from Fear's mother, they all agreed to try contacting them. But how were they supposed to go about doing it?

Fear's mom had explained that they could send messages to their children through dreams, but she stressed about the fact that the 'mental link' had to be open at both ends in order for the communication to be successful. Up until now, the mother Emotions were oblivious to the existences of their children, so they couldn't expect their kids to suddenly become aware of _them_ after all these years of ignorance.

Then one night, Fear's mother came up with a plan. She told the others that tonight she would go visit her son on Family Island like she had done many times since, and she would ask him to tell the other Emotions the truth about their big secret. Maybe if he could convince them to open their minds to the belief that they have parents out there eager to get in contact with them, then the others could finally reunite with their lost families too.

Fear's mom waited until their host Jill, had gone to bed before putting her plan to work. Before leaving for Family Island in Riley's mind, she made her coworkers promise to keep Jill safe while she was absent. She didn't want a repeat episode of "Reckless Jill" when she returned!

Then she closed her eyes and concentrated on sending her son, Fear her message…

Xxx

Inside Riley's mind, Fear was tossing restlessly in his sleep, in the grips of yet another nightmare. He let out a whimper of distress and his breathing became frantic as he dreamed about some terrible monster chasing him through the Subconscious.

For an Emotion that spent virtually every waking second of his life looking over his shoulder and expecting danger to leap out at him at any moment, he thought about how unfair it was that he was tormented even in his dreams. No wonder he always had huge bags under his eyes from sleep deprivation!

Suddenly the awful dream faded into obscurity and he heard the sweet, reassuring voice of his mother filling his head. _Meet me at Family Island. Tonight. I have something important to tell you my dear son…_

Fear's eyes shot wide open and he sat up in bed rigidly. His breathing was still very fast but now it was due to anticipation rather than fright as he heard his mother's words echoing around in his mind. He instinctively reached over to his dresser and took out the special Memory Orb she had given him during one of their first reunions. The bright purple orb was glowing intensely and emitting a strong warmth, indicating that she was near.

 _I hope everything is alright._ Fear thought to himself nervously. _She sounded really anxious about something…_

Tossing his blanket aside, the purple Emotion quickly got dressed and hurried out of his room towards the main room. He didn't even bother to make sure that his fellow Emotions were sound asleep as he practically ran to the Recall Tube that would transport him to Family Island.

Had he taken a moment to check his surroundings, he may have noticed that Sadness was on Dream Duty tonight and that the blue Emotion was watching him from the console as he activated the tube and it sucked him up and out of Headquarters.

As soon as he was gone, Sadness hurried over to the window and gazed longingly at Family Island. She knew that Fear wouldn't like it if she followed him out there. That these meetings with his mother were supposed to be private. But she had been obsessing over the idea of meeting her own parents one day ever since she first discovered Fear's secret.

Now the desire to see for herself was too strong for her to ignore anymore. Despite the guilt she was feeling about spying on Fear, she decided that she had to find out once and for all…

Taking a deep breath, Sadness entered the tube and felt the suction draw her upwards and out of Headquarters.

Xxx

Fear's mom was pacing around anxiously under the big willow on Family Island. She kept thinking about what she was going to ask her son to do for her, and she dreaded the idea of placing such a huge responsibility on him. But in order for the other Emotion parents to see their children, she knew that their only hope was resting on Fear's ability to persuade his cohorts.

She drew a sharp breath as she heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, and turning she saw her son racing towards her at full speed. She felt an overwhelming sense of love flow through her at the sight of him and that, at least for the moment banished her nerves. Eagerly, she rushed over to meet him and the two Emotions barely avoided a high speed collision in their delight to see each other again!

Fear melted into his mother's embrace as she held him lovingly, kissing the top of his head and whispering how happy she was to see him again. He reciprocated her greeting and allowed her to hold him like this for several moments, any anxieties he had about the urgent tone in her voice when she had called him in his dreams, fading away as he enjoyed the closeness of her.

Finally his mother gently pulled away from their embrace, and holding her son by the arms she gazed deeply into his eyes.

Fear shifted uncomfortably under her stare before venturing, "I came as soon as I received your message Mother. What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

He felt her hands squeezing his arms slightly and she took a deep breath before replying, "Oh Sweetie. I have been talking to my coworkers back in Jill's mind and they know about our secret."

Fear's expression paled at this statement and she could feel him trembling from fright in her hands. He began hyperventilating and looking at her with desperation, he stammered, "Oh no! They…they know?! What did they say to you? Did you get into trouble because of me?!"

"What? No! Oh my poor baby!" She wrapped her arms soothingly around him, trying to comfort him as best she could. As she held him a twinge of guilt entered her mind as she thought, _how can I possibly ask him to do this? He's so sensitive…I shouldn't be placing this burden on him!_

But she promised the other mothers that she would find a way to help them get in contact with their children. Why should she be the only one to experience such happiness? After all, she had set this whole chain of events into motion when she had decided to break the ultimate rule and seek out her son. Now she had to take responsibility for her actions and make things right! Unfortunately she knew that she couldn't do this alone, that she had unwittingly dragged her son into this mess, and that he was her only hope of redemption now…

She waited until Fear had calmed down and his terrified trembling had all but ceased, before she dared to speak again. Still holding him reassuringly, she whispered softly, "Its okay Fear. The others were not mad at me for disobeying the rules…"

She smiled sheepishly and admitted, "Well not for long anyway! In fact they were really excited to hear the truth and that's what I want to talk to you about today."

Fear tensed up slightly and asked, "What do you mean?"

His mother gave a sigh of relief and continued, "Well they were a bit skeptical about the news at first…but then the reality hit home. They do remember having children after all! They agreed that it would be wonderful if they too could reunite with their children just like we have, and now they are willing to try making contact! But this is where I need your help, my Sweet One…"

Fear listened to his mother's explanation in stunned silence. Now he felt a wave of apprehension grip him as he thought about what that could mean.

Swallowing nervously, he asked, "You need my help? But I don't understand. What could _I_ possibly do to help?"

His mother smiled encouragingly and looked warmly into his eyes again. "I need you to tell your friends the truth about us. The reason I was able to send you messages in your dreams in the first place is because you _wanted_ to believe in me as much as I _knew_ about your existence. You see the mother Emotions now know the truth, but their children don't and as a result any attempts at communication are not possible."

She paused to let all of this sink in. Fear was searching her eyes questioningly, but she thought she caught the smallest of smiles tug at the corner of his mouth and she knew then that he believed every word she had told him.

He gazed sincerely back at her and whispered, "You were right Mother. When I heard your voice talking to me in my dreams, I remembered. I remembered a time from my past when I didn't feel afraid and everything seemed so safe. I remembered being held and feeling like nothing in the world could ever scare me and I knew that it wasn't just a dream. These were memories from my past before I was made Riley's protector. I remembered _you_ and I never doubted your existence!"

The mother Emotion felt a warmness touch her heart and she smiled adoringly at her son. "Thank you so much for believing, my darling son. Its because of your open-mindedness that we are here together now!"

She watched as the nervousness left him and his eyes took on a steely determination. "What do you need me to do?"

 _What an incredible child I have!_ She thought with pride as she gave him a look of gratitude.

"Can you try to convince the other Emotions to open their minds and their hearts to the truth? If they start believing in their parents, maybe the mothers can send them messages through their dreams like I did with you. Then we can arrange meetings here on Family Island for all of them!"

Fear was silent for a few seconds as the enormity of the situation hit him. _She wanted him to convince the others? That was much easier said than done!_

He tried to imagine how the other Emotions would react to this news…Joy would probably be trilled as always, so that would be a piece of cake convincing her. Disgust would likely brush the thought aside and call him delusional whereas Anger…? He shuddered just thinking about what Anger might do to him!

What about Sadness? He remembered the knowing look she had given him when he'd returned from his last meeting with his mother and the others had caught him returning to Headquarters late…Did she suspect something all along? He knew how clever the blue Emotion was and she just seemed to _know_ things that the others would miss, but she had a tendency to keep her thoughts to herself.

 _Sadness would at least be open to the idea._ Fear decided. _Like Joy, she would probably want to see her parents if she could…_

Pushing any doubts and nerves aside, Fear nodded with conviction and replied, "Okay. I'll do whatever I can!"

If it meant helping his mother and his friends, he was willing to put his own insecurities on the line for their sakes!

Suddenly, the two Emotions were interrupted by a loud dripping sound coming from somewhere behind them. They both shrieked in alarm and tried to hide behind each other, their instinctive nervousness making them momentarily lose all sense of their former boldness. Since it was physically impossible for them both to hide behind one another, they finally settled on huddling together in a cowering heap, both shaking pitifully as they held onto each other and stared in the direction of the sound.

"Wha…what was that?!" Fear's mother whimpered to her son. She knew that she wasn't setting the best example at the moment, but she couldn't help herself.

"Who's out there?" Fear tried to sound brave but instead it came out as a nervous squeak.

There was a muffled sniffling sound coming from the shadows cast by one of the stone monuments that represented an image associated with family for Riley. This particular statue was of a mom and a dad hugging their daughter, and from behind it stepped…Sadness?!

The blue Emotion let out a final shuddering sob and wiped her nose with the back of her hand as she walked towards the stunned pair timidly.

"I'm sorry for listening in on your conversation." She gave Fear an apologetic look before turning her eyes to the ground guiltily. "But I just had to find out for myself."

Fear was staring at his blue companion in disbelief. _Sadness had followed him out here?! How could she have possibly known?!_

His mind frantically retraced all his actions leading up to this point and he grimaced to himself when he remembered that Sadness was supposed to be doing Dream Duty tonight. In his urgency to reach Family Island after receiving his mother's message, he hadn't bothered to check if everyone else was asleep or not! Now his secret was out…

Slowly the feeling of shock gave way to one of annoyance as he regarded his friend with narrowed eyes.

From beside him, his mother seemed to regain her composure following her fright and now she asked quietly, "Hello there? And who might you be…?"

Before the blue Emotion could answer, Fear growled under his breath and placing his hands on his hips, remarked sarcastically, "Mother, meet Miss Blue…Sadness Blue. Our very own spy extraordinaire!"

Sadness shuffled her feet and blushed nervously. "Oh hi…I…I didn't mean to spy on you! I'm sorry…"

After a few tense moments Fear's mother let out a soft chuckle and smiled welcomingly at their guest. "Oh don't feel bad Honey. You just gave us both quite a scare that's all!"

She glanced over at her son, who was still scowling irritably at the blue Emotion and she elbowed him promptly in the ribs.

"Hey! Mother!" he whined in protest. But her gaze told him that she expected him to be nice.

 _Did she just discipline me for the first time?_ Fear thought sheepishly as he sighed and muttered, "Yeah…you gave us quite the fright Sadness. But all is forgiven." He said this last part in a strained voice as if he didn't really mean it.

Fear's mother nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good. Now why don't you come closer so I can meet you properly?"

Sadness gave her a shy smile and shuffled over to the mother Emotion. She held out her hand and offered, "I'm Sadness. And it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Fear's mom."

Fear's mother took her hand and squeezed it gently. "It's nice to meet you too Honey."

She looked encouragingly into the little blue Emotion's eyes and inquired, "Was there something you wanted to ask me about?"

Sadness looked down timidly and replied, "Well actually I was wondering if you could tell me about my mother…what is she like? Does she know about me?"

Fear's mother knelt down so that she was eye level with the little Emotion. She gently grabbed her by the arms and explained softly, "Sweetie, your mother is absolutely wonderful! She's very kind and a great listener. In fact she's the lead Emotion in Jill's mind and we all look up to her very much!"

Sadness smiled warmly at these words and waited for Fear's mom to continue with anticipation.

"As for what she's like, well she actually looks a lot like you. She has the same kind eyes and reassuring presence about her that you seem to have. She's very clever and we all rely on her to make the best decisions about Jill at the end of the day."

She paused and gave Sadness a knowing smile. "She has been mentioning receiving messages in her dreams lately and when I told my coworkers about my experiences with meeting my son here…" she gestured around her excitedly, "She knew without a doubt that it was you sending those messages to her! She said that she would do whatever it takes to see you!"

Fear's mother gave her a tender pat on the arm as she noticed Sadness beginning to tear up again.

"Do you really mean that?" Sadness asked hopefully.

"Of course! Honey, she loves you so much and I believe its only a matter of time before she is able to visit you here!"

Sadness began sobbing softly and she gave the mother Emotion a grateful hug. "Thank you." She whispered sincerely.

Fear's mother returned the embrace and rubbed her back soothingly, as she allowed her to cry on her shoulder. "It's okay Sweetie. I promise I will help you mother get in contact with you anyway that I can."

Fear was watching the scene unfold and feeling downhearted. He couldn't help feeling jealous seeing his mother giving Sadness all this attention. Up until now he had received her undivided attention and love and suddenly Sadness shows up and he finds himself on the sidelines! Deep down he knew that his mother was only trying to comfort Sadness, as is her nature.

But still the sight hurt him. She was _his_ mother after all! He didn't particularly like the idea of sharing her with anyone!

But he kept these thoughts to himself and put on a brave smile as his mother finally pulled away from Sadness gently and looked over to him encouragingly.

She turned back to Sadness and addressed her with assurance, "Yes, my goal is to help get all the Emotion families reunited here someday. I'm sure they would all love that!"

"You're right, it would be so nice." Sadness agreed. She had stopped crying and was looking at both Emotions hopefully. "I want to help too if you'll let me. I'll do whatever it takes to make this possible."

Mother and son were silent for a moment as they pondered over Sadness' request. Finally Fear's mother nodded and replied, "Of course you can. We need all the help we can get!"

Then her eyes widened excitedly as an idea formed in her mind. "Actually there is something you can do for us right now!"

She looked to the sky over the Mind World and noted that it appeared to be getting lighter. It must be nearly morning soon, which means that the other Emotions would be waking up shortly…

"Could you go back to Headquarters and tell the others what you saw here? Try to convince them to believe you that you saw Fear's mother on Family Island tonight. Maybe then they'll start believing in their own parents too!"

Fear was listening in trepidation. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

His mother nodded slowly and explained, "Yes. In fact tell them to come out here and see the truth for themselves! If they can see me, then there should be no more reason to doubt it anymore!"

Sadness was looking a bit uncomfortable. She wasn't the most persuasive speaker and her experiences in the past with trying to get the others to listen to her didn't go all that well…

But she had promised to help and she couldn't back out now. Besides she wanted this to work more than anything she had ever wanted before. She decided that she would beg them to believe her if nothing else worked!

She slowly met the mother Emotion's eyes and nodded determinedly. "Okay. I'll do everything I can to make them believe me."

"Excellent!" Fear's mother exclaimed happily.

Fear himself wasn't feeling so optimistic. Swallowing nervously, he ventured, "And what about me? What should I do Mother?"

She smiled fondly at him. "You can stay here with me and keep me company until the others arrive, my sweet son. Besides I don't know if I could face their reactions and scrutiny without you here to give me strength and motivation."

Fear felt his heart light up at these words. He knew then that no matter how kind she appeared to any of the others, he was still the most precious thing in her life. That thought made him feel special and he gave her a look of absolute devotion.

And so mother and son were left alone to relish in each other's company for a little bit longer as they watched Sadness walking back towards Long Term and the recall tube that would be waiting to take her back to Headquarters to deliver the most important message of her life.

Xxx

 **Author's Note:**

Well dear readers that's another (tiny) chapter done and dusted! I hope you are all enjoying reading about these lost Emotion Families reuniting, and for any people out there who are either missing or separated from their family members, I hope you can find a way into each other's arms before it is too late. (This year I lost my grandma whom I adored but didn't get to see in over 13 years because she lived overseas) :(

I'll leave you now with a few lyrics from one of this year's participants of Melodifestivalen, the song that inspired the name of this chapter: **"Hearts Align"** by **Dismissed**.

"We've been drifting,

We've been scattered,

We've been stuck in our old patterns,

Feeling helpless and alone,

We've been apart for so long,

This is the time and location,

Will our hearts align?

When we come together?

Will our hopes unite?

Can we find a way to turn the tide?"

Now on a bit of a lighter note, I just received word from Madam Sylvia. She has found and dusted off her crystal ball and it's ready to go! Now we can find out if Sadness really does have the 'Love Vibes' for Anger! Chapter 3 of "Anger Loves Sadness" is in progress folks!

Svinorita


	6. Blurred Lines

Chapter 6.

Sadness arrived back in Headquarters to a chorus of questions from her fellow Emotions. Joy, Disgust and Anger were apparently in a state of deep concern after they came down to the main room this morning only to discover that Fear had gone AWOL again during the night and now Sadness, who was supposed to be doing Dream Duty, had also abandoned her post and was nowhere to be seen!

"What is going on around here?" Anger roared in frustration as flames threatened to erupt from the top of his head. "First Beanpole starts acting weird and now Sadness has pulled a disappearing act too?!"

Disgust scoffed and crossed her arms petulantly as she remarked, "Yeah! I knew something was up ever since Sadness started obsessing over that ridiculous idea of Emotions having parents!"

The green Emotion glowered at her two companions and added, "I told her to get those foolish thoughts out of her head! You don't suppose Fear has something to do with this, does he?"

Anger huffed and gritted his teeth. "Huh! I wouldn't be surprised if Beanpole was the one who suggested the whole thing in the first place! He's a dreamer! Always walking around with his head in the clouds and fantasizing about things that are just not possible!"

Joy sighed in resignation and tried to allay her friends' tempers. Making a calming motion with her hands, the yellow Emotion spoke in a reassuring voice, "Come on guys…let's all just take a deep breath and try to calm down okay? We don't know for sure where Sadness and Fear have gone to, but it isn't fair that we be making such critical assumptions about them when there could be a really simple explanation for all this…"

Suddenly a noise drew their attentions to the main Recall Tube, and turning simultaneously, they caught sight of Sadness dropping down from the tube as it descended from the ceiling. The little blue Emotion was still out of breath following her hasty dash from Family Island to deliver her important message, and as she surveyed the faces of the others as they gathered around her, she felt her already low confidence plummet.

"Sadness! Where have you been?" Joy asked with concern written all over her face as she studied her friend. "We were all getting really worried about you! Is everything alright?"

The blue Emotion was still trying to catch her breath; ( _boy am I out of shape!)_ she thought to herself dismally as she nodded and looked down to the floor shyly.

Disgust pouted stubbornly and stated, "Yes, it's so nice of you to join us this morning…and where have you been exactly? Did you decide to join Fear on one of his little early morning runs through Imagination Land or something?"

From beside her, Anger shifted uncomfortably and gave Sadness a worried look. "Hey, you feeling okay Kiddo?"

He had developed a soft spot for the blue Emotion lately and he was relieved she was okay, but the thought that she might have been gallivanting with the Beanpole out there filled his blood with jealous rage!

In a gruff, accusing voice he demanded, "Where is Fear anyway? Was he with you?"

Sadness was still looking at the floor and she replied in a quiet voice, "Yes…I mean sort of…I need to tell you something important."

She looked up at them hopefully and ventured, "I saw something very special on Family Island this morning."

"Family Island huh?" Disgust commented dryly. The green Emotion rolled her eyes in exasperation as a thought crossed her mind, "Don't tell me this is about that whole _'Emotions having parents'_ nonsense! I told you! That's not possible!"

Sadness looked down at her hands and mumbled quietly, "It is possible…and I have proof…"

"What was that? Speak up!" Disgust demanded coldly, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her blue companion in annoyance.

Anger shot the green Emotion a warning look. "Hey, back off! Give the Kid a break!"

Then he turned protectively to Sadness and urged her in a surprisingly gentle voice, "It's okay Kid. Tell us what's been on your mind…"

Joy nodded in encouragement and placed a reassuring hand on Sadness' shoulder. "Yeah, don't be shy Sadness. You know that you can tell us anything. We're all here for you!"

Sadness gave her a grateful smile and took a deep breath before offering, "Okay. I know you probably won't believe me but please listen carefully to what I am about to tell you and try to take it seriously…"

She paused to make sure that she had their full attentions as the other Emotions looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

Sadness swallowed back her uncertainties and met their eyes with steely determination. "It's true…Emotions really do have parents! I met Fear's Mother on Family Island just now and she told me to come back here and spread the message to all of you. Our parents want to get in touch with us, but they need us to believe in them otherwise it won't work…"

Joy's eyes were wide with wonder but she looked hopeful as she listened to Sadness' explanation, while Anger's mouth was hanging almost to the floor and Disgust looked utterly gob-smacked as the news sunk in!

"Are you serious Sadness?" Joy inquired with growing excitement. "If what you're saying is true, then this is the greatest discovery ever to happen in the Mind World!"

"Hold on!" Anger interjected in disbelief. "Did you just say Fear is with his _mother_ on Family Island?! Right now?!"

Sadness nodded vigorously and smiled as she remembered how sweet and loving Fear's Mother had been towards her.

"Yes, I saw her with my very own two…" the blue Emotion cleared her throat and quickly corrected herself, "…I mean _four_ eyes! She was so nice to me! She told me that she wants to see all of you as well and you should all go down to Family Island and see for yourselves!"

Anger was still looking stunned and he kept muttering to himself in disbelief: _"Two Beanpoles…?"_

Joy clapped her hands in elation and did a happy little dance on the spot. "That's awesome! We should totally check this out guys!"

Disgust had been listening in shocked silence all this time, and suddenly she stepped forward and held her hand out to get everyone's attentions. "Whoa! Hold on! You're saying that Fear's Mother is here on Riley's Family Island right now? How is that even possible? I mean how could she travel here from another mind? That doesn't make any sense!"

Joy's smile evaporated as she pondered that thought. "Oh…right. That didn't even cross my mind…"

Anger just shook his head in awe and mumbled, "Two Beanpoles…what has this world come to?"

Suddenly the red Emotion's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as a disturbing realization dawned on him. "Wait! If there's a mother then does that mean…OH NO! There must be **THREE** of them?! _**Three Beanpoles…!"**_

Sadness ignored Anger's little outburst and mulled over Disgust's words. She had been so excited and relieved to discover the truth that she never even considered how Fear's Mother was able to physically appear in Riley's mind!

She noticed that the others were looking at her for an answer, but she had none to offer them.

Sadness shook her head miserably and admitted, "I don't know how she gets here. But I _do_ know that she's real and she's waiting for you out there."

She pointed out the window with a chubby blue finger. "Maybe you should go and ask her yourselves."

"Great idea! I can't wait to see this with my own eyes!" Joy exclaimed optimistically.

"But we can't all just leave Headquarters! What about Riley?" Disgust pointed out indignantly.

"Well I'm going!" Anger announced defiantly. "I've got to see this for myself! How long has Momma's Boy been hiding this behind our backs?! He's got some serious explaining to do!"

"Disgust's right." Joy cautioned with disappointment in her voice. "We can't just leave Riley unattended. Someone has to stay here and keep an eye on her."

"It's okay, I'll stay." The soft voice belonged to Sadness who addressed the others with reassurance.

"I've already met Fear's Mother and now the rest of you need to see for yourselves so you can start believing. I'll watch Riley while you're gone and make sure nothing happens to her."

Joy smiled warmly at the blue Emotion and said, "Thank you Sadness. I know Riley is in good hands with you."

Then she turned eagerly to Disgust and Anger and beamed, "Well guys what are we waiting for? Let's go to Family Island on the double!"

Xxx

Meanwhile on Family Island, Fear was doing his best to try to reassure his mother that everything will turn out fine when the other Emotions arrive.

He noted the way she kept glancing around apprehensively and her ragged breathing, and he put on an encouraging smile as he told her, "It's okay Mother. I know that this is the right thing to do and I'm here to support you anyway that I can."

He placed a reassuring hand on her back and she gave him a grateful look.

"Thank you my Sweet One, I really appreciate your support." She had a slightly ill look on her face and she gulped back the nausea threatening to rise into her throat.

"I feel kind of sick to my stomach…I think the nerves are getting the better of me." She admitted as a feeling of shame swept over her.

Why was she so nervous about meeting the other Emotion children? After all this is what she wanted…to help reunite all the Emotion families so they could experience the same happiness that she and Fear were feeling whenever they got together.

But was it really their judgement that she was dreading? Or maybe it was the chilling realization that if anything went wrong and Riley or either of her parents were somehow endangered as a result of these reunions, the sole responsibility would fall on her as the instigator of this whole process?

From beside her Fear chuckled softly and replied, "Hey I can totally relate to that feeling! I get sick to the tummy all the time from worrying about how I might panic and mess things up for Riley and my friends."

His mother smiled compassionately at him and nodded. Then she let out a soft sigh and asked, "What if they don't like me Son? What if they think I don't belong here and that I've crossed a line I am not supposed to?"

Fear looked taken aback by these questions. "Are you kidding? You saw the way Sadness reacted when she met you! You are the kindest, most gentle Emotion I've ever met and I know the others will love you!"

He looked pleadingly into her eyes and added, "You want to help give them something so special…something they never dreamed possible, and for that I'm sure they'll feel nothing but gratitude towards you!"

Now he threw his arms around his mother and embraced her tightly. "You have every right to be here! And once the others see what you are trying to do for them, they will understand that too."

The mother Emotion returned her son's embrace lovingly. She felt so proud of him right now! He was not only standing up for her, but also expressed his desire to help make his friends happy, despite how they sometimes felt about him as a general nuisance and source of frustration in their lives.

She smiled fondly as she remembered something Jill often said to Riley to express her pride for her daughter.

Now she leaned forward and whispered those same words, (with her own unique take) into her son's ear, "What did I do to deserve you my precious son…"

Fear closed his eyes and smiled serenely as he enjoyed their embrace. _What did I do to deserve an amazing mother like you?_ He thought to himself fondly.

Suddenly they heard the unmistakable sound of multiple footsteps approaching, and the two Emotions gave each other a nod of encouragement. The time had finally come to face the music and they were ready to deal with all the questions and scrutiny the other Emotions could throw at them together.

Joy was the first to come around the corner and she stopped in her tracks, transfixed by the scene in front of her. Then slowly the biggest smile Fear had ever seen crept across the yellow Emotion's face and she let out a squeal of delight.

"So its true…it's really true! You do exist?!"

Fear's Mother smiled welcomingly and stated, "Yes Dear! I can assure you I am very much real…"

Joy giggled excitedly and bounded over to the two purple Emotions, catching them both in a friendly group hug. "This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen! Fear I am so happy for you right now!"

"Thanks…Joy." Fear wheezed as she squeezed a little too tightly in her excitement.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Dear!" Fear's Mother replied as she rubbed Joy's shoulders affectionately and studied her beaming face.

"You are just as cheerful and lovely as your mother! I can already see the two of you having a great time together. I know she will be absolutely thrilled to meet you!"

The golden aura surrounding Joy seemed to grow a little brighter as she clapped her hands eagerly and laughed with exuberance. "Oh I can't wait to meet her!"

Disgust and Anger had both been watching the introduction with a mixture of shock and surprise. Disgust was utterly speechless for once as the reality before her eyes slowly sank in, and all she could do was stare in bewilderment as the mother Emotion looked at her in encouragement.

"It's okay Honey. I don't bite!" She offered lightly as the green Emotion remained rooted to the spot and raised her hand meekly in a wave. "Um…hi…I guess…"

Beside her, Anger was staring wide-eyed and his mouth was agape as he took in the sight. "How…? She's real? Is she actually real?!" The red Emotion fumbled over his words as his brain struggled to make sense of the situation.

"Hey are you a hologram or something? How can you actually be here? "He inquired in disbelief.

Fear's Mother smiled hesitantly and placed one hand on her son's shoulder and the other on Joy's as she answered, "Well the last time I checked, I felt pretty real!"

Then a serious look appeared on her face as she addressed all the Emotions gathered before her, "Maybe you should ask yourself, are any of us real?"

Seeing the confused expressions on the faces of the young Emotions, Fear's Mother drew a deep breath and began to explain, "Think about it. When Riley gets angry she may throw a few things around in rage and she might get a little red in the face, but her parents or anyone else for that matter don't actually see _you_ the way the other Emotions do. So ask yourself, my Little Red Spark does that make you real?"

"I…uh…um…" Anger couldn't think of a response to that. Of course he is real! He is standing right here isn't he?! What else could he possibly be? He felt certain of this on the inside, but for some reason he was unable to say it out loud. Why…?

Fear's Mom now turned her attention to Joy beside her, and explained, "Or how about when Riley is feeling happy? People watching her might see her skipping from delight or smiling and laughing to show she is having a good time. But they don't actually see Joy standing before them as a happy little ray of sunshine like we see her…"

She looked over to Fear and added, "Or when Riley is scared, people don't see my beautiful, sweet son trembling before them."

Fear was beginning to feel uneasy as he thought about what his mother was saying. He noticed that all the other Emotions seemed to be feeling just as confused as he was…even Joy had stopped smiling and looked a little lost.

He remembered how his mother had been feeling sick earlier while they were waiting for the others to arrive and now he began feeling the worry gnawing away inside his own stomach.

He looked questioningly at his mother and ventured, "What are you saying Mother? We don't understand…"

She gave him a reassuring smile and he thought he caught sight of some ancient knowledge flickering in her kind gray eyes as she continued, "Don't get me wrong children. I am not trying to frighten you by implying that none of us are real. We are just as real as Riley is to her parents! But my point is that people don't see us the way we see ourselves in our true forms. To them we are not physical beings, but rather energy or forces of nature."

She paused to let this sink in and to gather her thoughts before continuing, "I have witnessed many medical shows on television through Jill's eyes and I have seen images of the brain, and I was shocked to discover that it doesn't look anything like our world as we see it…yet that doesn't mean that our world is not real."

"You see people like to create their own world as they see fit. For example when they buy a new house, they like to make it look pretty and so fill it with things that are pleasing to their eyes. Well Emotions are no different! We like to create our own world too. We put color into it and see things through our own eyes in a way that makes sense to us."

Fear's Mother surveyed the faces of all the Emotions as she spoke and she felt relieved to see that they were all listening intently and absorbing the information seriously, but they no longer seemed frightened or put-off by her lecture. Just like human children, they were curious to learn new things and right now she was their teacher and they were her students!

 _Looks like I can help them understand more than just the truth about their families…_ The mother Emotion thought warmly to herself. The information she was sharing with them now was something that even adult Emotions struggled to comprehend, and it had taken her most of her adult life to make sense of how their world worked.

How did she know all of this in the first place? It was one of the advantages of being a Fear Emotion she guessed. After all, her race is the most primal of all the Emotions, and they have changed very little after millions of years. As a Fear Emotion, her mind is constantly calculating and evaluating potential risks in her environment so she needs to be able to make split second decisions. Consequently, this has led to her kind possessing ancient wisdom passed down through many generations, and now she was sharing this wisdom with her son and his friends.

This ancient wisdom was also largely the reason why she was able to achieve contact with her son when the other Emotions were oblivious to the fact that they even had children…but she will attempt to explain that to them a little later…

Now she gave them all one of her kind, reassuring smiles and resumed her history lesson:

"There are many people who believe in things they can't see or that have no rational explanation. Some people believe in ghosts or angels- there are even some who believe in stranger things such as fairies or aliens! This may sound ridiculous or simply the stuff of fantasy to many, but to those who believe, these things seem real…maybe Emotions are like that too? The majority of people don't see us as we really are but maybe there are some out there who believe in us and can imagine us in our true forms?"

"We will never know for sure." The mother Emotion let out a soft laugh as she remembered hearing something amusing and she decided to lighten the mood by sharing it with the others.

"I once heard that when TV was first invented, people actually believed that someone had magically shrunk a bunch of people and put them inside that little box! They didn't understand how it worked and as crazy as that sounds, it was the only _'rational'_ explanation they could come up with!"

This earned a chorus of chuckles from the other Emotions.

Disgust snorted and remarked, "Could people have really been that stupid?"

Fear's Mother laughed softly and replied, "I know it sounds unbelievable but it was real to them at the time! Humans have since discovered the truth about how TV works, that there are not little people actually inside the box and it's all just a series of moving images from a camera…"

"But the reason I brought that up in the first place is to draw a comparison with how it applies to us as Emotions living inside people's minds. Maybe we are a little like that too? Tiny people living inside Riley and Jill's minds…real yet magical at the same time?"

She let out a long sigh and muttered more to herself than the others, "Oh if I could explain the secrets and mysteries of just _one_ mind, I should probably receive a Nobel Prize for science…"

Fear gripped her arm and smiled lovingly at her. "Oh Mother! You definitely deserve to get a Nobel Prize for the science of love!"

From next to her Joy nodded in encouragement. "I agree with Fear! You are so amazing! What you just told us is so remarkable and we appreciate you trying to explain such a complicated concept to us!"

Disgust was silent for a moment, then she nodded slowly in acceptance. "I've gotta give it you, that was quite impressive. I still find it hard to believe everything you just said, but after hearing what you've told us, I don't think I'll ever look at things the same way again."

Anger just looked blank and grumbled, "Well all this ' _mysteries of the mind'_ stuff is a little too deep for me…do you have to make everything sound so complicated? Why can't you just give us a simple answer?"

Fear's Mother gave the red Emotion an apologetic look and replied, "I wish I could give you a simpler explanation, Little Red Spark. But the reality is more complicated than that. There is still more you need to understand and I'm afraid if you're having trouble following what I've already said, then the next part is not going to sound any easier for you…"

Anger rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, "Wonderful! First I find out Beanpole has a mother, then it turns out she's the philosophical type!"

Fear's Mother cleared her throat to get everyone's attentions, then started talking as calmly as she could as she attempted to disclose another great mystery to her young audience.

"You must all be wondering how it is that I am actually here, inside Riley's mind with you right now. Well children, I will do my best to try and explain it as simply as I can, but I'm afraid not everything will sound straight-forward to you…"

"You see, not everything can be explained visually. Sometimes in order to understand something, you need to try and see not with your eyes, but with your hands like a blind person…"

She gave Fear a warm smile and continued, "…Or in the case of love, you need to see with your heart."

"The thing is, I've watched Riley growing up through Jill's eyes all these years. And lately Jill has been worrying deep down about how her daughter is growing up fast, and also how the world has lost a lot of its innocence. So to make herself feel better, Jill started remembering how things were when Riley was a baby…and I believe that somehow the influence affected me, because I began remembering my own son as a baby."

She glanced over at Fear, who was watching her spellbound. The other Emotions were listening in deep interest as well and it was Disgust who voiced the question that everyone had been thinking:

"Um no offense Mrs. Fear's Mom. But I have to ask, why did _you_ remember when the rest of our folks didn't seem to?"

The mother Emotion let out a nervous chuckle and explained, "I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but you must realize that Fear is the most primal of all the Emotions. Because we are always seeking comfort and reassurance in some form or another, we are naturally more sensitive to picking up on emotional stimuli in our environment that other Emotions might miss…in my case I was able to tune into Jill's longing and desire for the past and that triggered a special part of my memory that eventually led me remember my son."

"So basically you're saying that your kind is smarter than the rest of us?" Anger grumped indignantly. "That you possess some special mind power unique to Beanpoles? That seems rather unfair doesn't it?"

"No! Oh no, you misunderstand Little Spark! I am in no way trying to elevate my own importance over those of my colleagues! We all have our vital roles to play to ensure mental harmony in our hosts. What I meant was that Jill's memories of Riley as a baby were only part of the equation. Maybe deep down I never could let go of the memory of my son, and that's why the message was clearer to me than the others."

She looked around nervously, to see if her statement had offended any of the other emotions, but to her intense relief, Joy and Disgust seemed to understand, as the two were looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

Now her heart felt at ease as she proceeded, "I may have been the first to remember, but I noticed that Sadness' Mother came close on a few occasions. But since she is the lead Emotion in Jill's mind, I believe her responsibilities kept her from fully committing herself to the task."

She looked at Joy and remarked, "Sweetie, your mother is always going out of her way to ensure everyone stays happy by undoing any negatives the rest of us inadvertently create throughout the day…it that sense she is like a mother to everyone!"

The yellow Emotion beamed happily at her and there was a little sparkle of pride in her blue eyes. "Really? That's so cool! Thank you for telling me!"

Next Fear's Mother turned her attention to Disgust. "And as for your mom Honey, she spends a lot of her time making sure she looks the best that she can. Apparently it is a full time job maintaining one's beauty and this keeps her busy most of the time."

Disgust glared in tense silence for a while and Fear's Mom was beginning to worry that she upset the green Emotion by implying that her mother was too shallow to care about her. But then Disgust gave her a knowing nod and stated, "Yes, that's true. I fully understand the importance of looking after one's image…after all beauty is like an art, it can't be rushed!"

Fear's Mother felt a wave of relief wash over her, but that was short-lived as she turned to address Anger. "As for you Little Spark…Your mom is pretty explosive and outspoken. She means well by everyone but once she works herself into a rage…well she does seem to have a single-track mind…"

Anger glared menacingly at her and the top of his head smoldered a little as he grumbled, "Are you saying my mom has a short memory span?"

Up until now, Anger didn't even know he _had_ a mom. But he suddenly felt the strong need to defend her…

Fear's Mother gulped nervously and shook her head quickly. "No! Not at all! Your mother is very bright! She just spends a lot of time making sure the rest of us are doing all we can to help give Jill the fairest outcome in any situation!"

The red Emotion seemed to consider this response, then relaxed and shrugged dismissively. "Eh, sounds good to me."

"Good. Now that I've covered that, I will go on and explain how I actually achieve inter-mind travel."

The mother Emotion took a second to compose herself, then ventured, "I guess I should begin by explaining the importance of Family Island and how this place is the key to making any of this possible…"

"Every person has their own unique Islands of Personality. They consist of things that are important in the life of that individual-for instance hockey is an important part of Riley's life, so therefore she has Hockey Island to reflect that aspect of her life. The same goes for Friendship, Goofball and Honesty Islands; these are all important to Riley but other people have different Islands of Personalities based on the things that are important to them. However there is one thing just about every person on the planet shares; everyone has a Family Island."

She paused for a breath before continuing, "Think about it. If a baby is lucky enough to be born into a loving family like Riley was, the first thing she ever experienced was family. She would have felt the closeness of her mother as she embraced her, and when her father picked her up she felt safe and protected, and probably fell asleep listening to his heartbeat."

"You see a baby does not know what country it is born into or the color of it's skin. All it understands in those first few moments of life is that _I belong to these people. They are here to love and protect me; they are my tribe, my family._ As a result Family Island is usually the first Island of Personality to form in any child's mind."

The mother Emotion smiled warmly as a nice thought crossed her mind. "You have all heard of Disneyland haven't you?"

The other Emotions all nodded in confirmation – Riley had always wanted to go there!

Joy let out a giggle of excitement and exclaimed, "Of course! They say that Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth!"

Fear's Mother smiled at her in acknowledgement and replied, "That's right Dear! And similarly you could say that Family Island is the Happiest Place in the Mind! Think of it as a kind of 'Disneyland' for Emotions if you like!"

"The thing is Little Ones that many people have what they call a _'special place'_ where they can go to whenever they feel overwhelmed or down. This can be a real physical place such as a beautiful forest, or the beach or any other place that makes that person feel at peace. But it could also be a special place created in a person's mind; and although they can't go there physically, they do achieve ways of getting there: this could be by daydreaming or meditation or even astral travel – an out of body experience!"

"So my theory is this: if humans can find a _'special place'_ be it a real one or one in their minds, then why can't Emotions like us? For me, I always liked spending time on Jill's Family Island and over time, this became like my own _'special place!'_ Then when I started remembering my son, I would go to Family Island more and more, and it was there that I began trying to call out to my son by sending messages through his dreams."

"And I heard you." Fear whispered softly as he looked at his mother with tears of joy in his eyes. "The message was faint at first, but over time it became stronger and clearer. You told me to come here; to Family Island…" his eyes grew wide with realization as a thought dawned on him.

"Does that mean that Riley's Family Island is somehow linked with those of her mother and father's?"

The mother Emotion's face lit up with pride as she regarded her son. "My clever boy! Now you are beginning to understand!"

Disgust raised her eyebrow skeptically and interrupted them with a petulant wave of her arm. "Wait, you say that you were able to communicate with Fear from Jill's Family Island? But that still doesn't explain how you actually get here into Riley's mind and then back to Jill's again?"

Fear's Mother looked lost in thought for a moment, then answered with that faraway expression still on her face, "All the signs seemed to be leading me here, to Family Island. I honestly can't tell you exactly how I managed to pull it off at first…was it by daydreaming, meditation or astral travel?"

"Perhaps even a combination of all three! All I know is that I went to Jill's Family Island and once there, I closed my eyes and concentrated really hard on being with my son while calling to him in my mind and with my heart…and when I opened my eyes, I found myself here! I couldn't believe it actually worked! But then I met Fear here and I knew in my heart that this was real and I wasn't just dreaming!"

She snapped herself out of her reverie and surveyed the stunned faces of her audience. They all looked so lost in wonder as they tried to make sense of everything she had told them.

She smiled lovingly at all of them and commented, "So you see children, if you want something to happen badly enough; if you believe with your hearts and open your minds anything becomes possible! Call it magic or call it love, but ever since that first night, whenever I wanted to be with my son, I would go to Family Island and repeat those simple steps I followed before and it has worked ever since!"

She reassured them all by gently adding, "Not everything in our world can be explained logically. It is not a simple case of black or white. Some things don't have a point A to point B to C, but instead I like to refer to it as 'blurred lines', where logical and mysterious aspects of our world merge together to create reality!"

"I hope I was able to help you all understand how our world works a little better and not leave you with more questions than when you arrived!"

The mother Emotion spread her arms wide in a welcoming gesture and stated proudly, "I want **all** Emotions to get the chance to meet their families like I did with my little Fear; to come together as a family unit at least once…I think that would sustain us all for a lifetime!"

The other Emotions all nodded in agreement.

Joy jumped up and down on the spot from pure delight and chanted, "I'm in! I'm in! I'm in! Yes! Let's do this!"

Fear's Mother smiled appreciatively at the spirited yellow Emotion beside her and thanked her, "That's the spirit my Happy Little Star! Oh you really are so wonderful!"

Then she looked at Anger and Disgust expectantly. "Well what do you think Dears? I need your support too…are you willing to open your minds and try to believe?"

Joy looked at Disgust and reminded her, "Well Disgust, you _did_ say that you would believe when you saw the truth with your own eyes…"

She pointed to Fear's Mother and prompted, "Isn't she all the proof you need?"

Disgust was silent as she considered her options. She glanced at Fear's Mother, who was biting her lip apprehensively and looking back at her with pleading eyes and finally the green Emotion let out a long sigh of resignation.

"Fine...I guess I'm out-numbered in this decision anyway so I might as well agree." She threw a distasteful look at Fear and Joy and added, "Otherwise some of you will never let me hear the end of it!"

Fear's Mother gave her a smile of gratitude and said, "Thank you Dear! I can assure you that all your moms can't wait to see you! But we still need to find a way of letting your dads know too…"

She cocked her head to the side and appeared lost in deep thought for a moment. Then a hopeful smile slowly crept across her face as she offered, "I think I have an idea about how we can achieve that, but first…"

Now she addressed Anger with such determination in her eyes that the red Emotion actually flinched under the intensity of her stare!

"My Little Red Champion! I am going to need your help with this!"

The others all gasped with surprise at this declaration. "HIM?!" They all uttered in unison.

"ME?!" Anger echoed as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

Fear's Mother nodded vigorously and clarified, "Yes YOU."

Then she smiled in her typical kind manner and explained, "I have heard that your father is the lead Emotion; the Boss in Bill's mind! And as I have already mentioned, your mother is pretty intense too. If you and your mother could somehow focus your combined efforts together and try sending him a mental message at the same time, then maybe you could activate Bill's Anger and get him to remember the past!"

She looked around at the others excitedly and remarked, "If we can convince Anger's dad to remember, then maybe he could alert the other fathers too and then we can work on reuniting each individual Emotion family here!"

"What do you say children? Do you all agree with me?" Her voice trembled slightly from desperation as she surveyed her audience with growing anticipation.

Finally Fear took his mother's hand and placed his own on top as a sign of his commitment. Recognizing the significance of the gesture and all it stood for, a flash of understanding passed through Joy's eyes and she turned and placed her own hand on top of Fear's.

The three Emotions looked at each other and nodded their assent. Then they gazed questioningly at Anger and Disgust and waited patiently to see what they would do.

Disgust let out a defeated sigh and gingerly placed her hand on top of Joy's without saying a word.

Anger grumbled something under his breath that the other's couldn't quite catch and stomped over to the group, glaring at them irritably. It took a moment for the others to realize that the short Emotion couldn't reach that high to place his hand on top of theirs, so they compensated by lowering their hands down to his level, after which Anger shot them a final grunt of indignation before slapping his own hand (rather forcefully) on top of Disgust's.

The green Emotion gave him a look of absolute contempt, but didn't share the colorful thought that flashed through her mind about the red Emotion with the others. Some things are just better left unsaid…

Joy suddenly remembered something important and piped up, "Oh, and I know Sadness would absolutely agree to do this too and since she couldn't make it here with the rest of us because someone had to stay back in Headquarters to watch Riley, I want to show my support on behalf of her!"

The yellow Emotion placed her other hand on top of the pile and stated, "This is for Sadness!"

Fear's Mother nodded happily and gave all of them a look of pure love before leaning forward and embracing them all in an unexpected, yet comforting group hug.

"Thank you so much for accepting and listening to me children! I will treasure the memory of each and every one of you in my heart forever!"

Joy laughed and replied, "Fear, I know I've said it before but I have to say it again…your Mom is awesome!"

Even Disgust smiled a little and remarked, "I'll admit, you are pretty cool, Fear's Mom…

The green Emotion quickly did a mental note on the mother Emotion's choice of wardrobe and added matter-of-factly, "But seriously you could do with some important fashion tips from me!"

Anger grumbled and extricated himself roughly from the group as he commented, "You're not bad for a Beanpole. I'll think about what you said about getting in touch with my Old Man…"

Then he shot a hard look at Fear and declared, "As for you Mister…don't think I'll let you off the hook so easily about keeping all this secret! I don't like it when someone hides something behind my back!"

Fear yelped in fright and despite himself, he couldn't help whimpering, "Mommy!"

His mother chuckled softly and soon the others joined in light-heartedly.

Then the four young Emotions said their goodbyes to Fear's Mom and started making their way back to Headquarters full of anticipation about what was to come next. Anger in particular remained quiet as little sparks of concentration trailed behind him, and the others could almost hear the gears turning inside the red Emotion's head as he thought about the important task that lay ahead of him…

Xxx

 **Author's Note:**

 **Okay folks! That was a monster of a chapter tackled! If you decided to stick around and read this massive chapter until the end, I want to say thank you! I hope I was able to answer some of the major questions people may have been thinking if you've followed this story from the beginning…**

 **I hope I didn't confuse any of you more as I attempted to explain some of the biggest challenges facing the parent Emotions in reuniting with their children! In that sense I share the same goal as Fear's Mother: I really want this to work!**

 **One thing I forgot to mention in the story but I should point out now is the fact that Fear's Mother and any of the other Emotion parents can travel freely to Riley's mind and between those of her parents because the Andersens are one family unit. They share the same DNA and therefore I suggested that their Family Islands are somehow connected, not physically, but by some power of the mind and this allows the Emotions to use Family Island as a kind of portal to travel between members of the Andersen family.**

 **So in other words, Fear's Mother can't just teleport herself into any random person's mind. She can only travel between the minds of Riley and her parents because they are all one family.**

 **I suggested that Fear's Mother achieves this by a combination of daydreaming, meditating and astral travel. So you're probably wondering, is she actually there in Riley's mind or is it all just a big optical illusion? The answer is YES. She is really there! If you think of Emotions as energy, then they must possess some powers over the mind that they can use for their own benefits at times?**

 **Maybe Fear's mother initially uses the methods I mentioned above to get herself into that deep state of concentration, then she can use sheer willpower to teleport herself into Riley's mind? And because the Family Islands are connected, that could explain how they act as a kind of gateway for the Emotions to enter and leave the minds of their hosts under the right circumstances?**

 **Anyway I think I've covered the more complicated stuff in this chapter and things should be more straight-forward from here on as we focus on contacting the fathers next!**

 **PS: Fear is such a Momma's Boy isn't he?**

 **Svinorita**


	7. Rude (But Meaningful) Awakening!

Chapter 7.

It was Sunday and Bill Andersen found himself in the kitchen, busily mopping up and putting the dishes away after lunch with his family. Normally this would be taken care of by his wife; Jill, but she had started nagging him recently about how they needed to share the workload around the house more, and today she reminded him sternly about how she spent hours doing the cooking, the least Bill could do was help clean up afterwards!

Bill protested of course…cleaning is women's work! Wasn't it enough that he spent five days a week busting his butt off at work in order to put food on the table for his family?! He thought that he deserved some down time on the weekends to relax and unwind after all that stress during the week!

But Jill was having none of it! No…! Although she was so often a kind and understanding wife and mother, she also stood strongly by her values and once she made up her mind about something…well as Bill found out the hard way, she refused to take no for an answer!

So after a heated (but short argument), the case was settled. From now on, Bill was in charge of cleaning up after meal times whether he liked it or not!

But not everything had to be so bleak for the head of the Andersen household…Bill decided there was something he _could_ do to help take his mind off the arduous task at hand.

 _This is nothing a little AC/DC therapy can't fix!_ Bill told himself with a devilish smile on his face.

It just so happens that AC/DC is his most favorite band of all time! He went to just about all their concerts and he remembered with fondness how he used to rock out to some of their biggest hits when he was the lead guitarist of a band that he played in shortly after he left school. As a matter of fact, it was while he was playing in this band that he met the love of his life and future wife; Jill.

Things seemed to snowball from there and soon after meeting Jill, he found himself getting married and becoming a father and he realized that he needed to make some serious life changes. So he left his band and took up a position as a coach for a junior league hockey team, (the same team that his daughter, Riley would become a star player in as she grew a little older.)

Then two years ago another big change came into his life when he was offered a well-paying job in a Tech Startup company. That was the reason he decided to pack his family up and move to San Francisco…but he never lost his passion for hockey _or_ AC/DC!

 _Isn't it funny how something as trivial as listening to the music of your favorite band can shape the course of your life?_ Bill often found himself wondering. If it wasn't for his obsession with AC/DC he would never have met Jill and had the life he has now!

So really it's no surprise that AC/DC has a special place in Mr. Andersen's heart…

So with the sound of AC/DC's Greatest Hits blaring in the background, Bill found some much needed motivation and rhythm to help get him in the zone while he scrubbed the dining table with gusto.

And it appears that Bill wasn't the only one who found the rocking tunes inspirational…

Inside Mr. Andersen's Headquarters, Anger's father was busy playing the air guitar as the song _"Highway to Hell"_ blared from the speakers. His coworkers were all getting into the act too as Disgust's Dad pretended to beat some imaginary drums while Papa Joy rocked an invisible bass.

Sadness' Dad didn't appear to play any instruments (even imaginary ones) but judging by the way he was bobbing along to the music, there was no question the mustachioed blue Emotion was having a great time.

Fear's Dad apparently thought he was too cool for instruments and instead the purple Emotion was giving his all in his best lip-syncing performance (At least the others _thought_ he was lip-syncing, but then again Fear's Dad did have a naturally screechy voice so they couldn't be a hundred percent sure that he wasn't actually singing?)

Just as Anger's Dad was about to go into his solo guitar-riff, they were all rudely interrupted by an awful sound coming from Riley's room as Katy Perry's _"Firework"_ blasted over their rocking jam!

" _Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind…?"_

In the kitchen, Bill clasped his hands over his ears like that was the most horrible sound he ever heard and roared, **"Riley! Turn down that awful noise! I don't want to listen to a song about garbage bags when I'm stuck cleaning the kitchen!"**

From upstairs came Riley's defiant response, "But Dad! It helps me to study!"

Then she countered her father's explosive remark by yelling, "And I don't need to hear _"Highway to Hell"_ either! I'm already **in** hell with this stupid math homework!"

Bill let out a frustrated sigh and mumbled begrudgingly, "Urgh! I love the girl but she can be so loud and stubborn just like her mother sometimes! She was the loudest baby in the hospital when she was born…and she probably woke up the whole street with her crying when we brought her home!"

Inside Headquarters, Papa Anger nodded in agreement and punched the air with his fist. "You see that Gentlemen? That's why nothing beats being single!"

The mustachioed red Emotion stood up in his seat and puffed his chest out arrogantly. "You'll never catch **me** burdening myself like that! I never have to worry about no nagging missus or screaming kid in my life!"

Meanwhile, Bill decided that he wasn't going to be able to continue cleaning with Katy Perry screaming _"Baby you're a firework!"_ in the background and with a final sigh of frustration, he threw the towel angrily down on the table.

 _Fine Riley! Have it your way!_ He thought sourly to himself as he took a final glance around the kitchen and decided _'It looks good enough anyway…'_

Then he marched grumpily up the stairs and into his study. He decided that doing some work on his latest project might help improve his mood – Bill had recently begun writing a book on the history of hockey.

However he was never quite satisfied with his drafts and at the end of the day, they tended to end up in his office trash bin. But he always liked to re-read his discarded papers the next day as he discovered that what appeared to be trash one day, sometimes looked more appealing when he returned and read them a few days later.

Many people may have found this behavior pointless, but to Bill it was normal. He tended to be rather indecisive at the best of times…

Now as he walked into his study and headed for his trash basket, he was shocked to discover that the papers which he expected to find waiting for him just as he last left them had inexplicably vanished!

Feeling his blood beginning to boil from rage, Bill did the first thing that sprang into his mind…he blamed his wife.

"Jill! Where have you put those papers from my trash basket?!" He yelled accusingly.

From downstairs, he heard his wife's hesitant reply, "Well I thought you didn't want them anymore Honey. So I threw them out last night."

Now Bill was furious and balling his fists, he shouted back harshly, **"I told you never to touch my paperwork! I'm trying to write a book here!"**

He was met only with silence and this seemed to make him even more angry as he declared, "How many times do I have to tell you?! Just because I might not like an idea today, doesn't mean I won't change my mind about it tomorrow! So for the millionth time Jill, **DON'T TOUCH MY TRASH!"**

Now Jill was beginning to get fed up with her husband's immature attitude and disrespect. Growling with fury, she marched upstairs and stood menacingly in the doorway to Bill's study, giving him such an intense look that it would have melted a glacier!

In a dangerously level voice she announced, "Well let me tell you something Bill. You don't need to listen to _"Highway to Hell"_ **because you already** **ARE** **a bat from hell!** **WHY DON'T YOU GROW UP AND ACT YOUR AGE?!"**

With that she turned on her heel and marched off, but not before throwing over her shoulder, **"You're too old for a mid-life crisis!"**

Bill was so shocked by his wife's angry outburst that he was left genuinely speechless! It's not very often that Jill loses her cool like that and he had to admit it left him feeling shaken.

But after a moment he seemed to regain his senses, and he suddenly felt guilty for treating her with such disrespect. Now he ran out of his study and called pitifully after her, "But Jill…you used to love AC/DC! Don't you remember? We went to one of their concerts shortly after we got married and that night the two of us became three!"

Jill wasn't buying any of his sentiment however and she rolled her eyes in exasperation. Then without humor in her voice she stated, "I am aging gracefully, unlike you! I prefer Michael Bublé now!"

With her back still turned to him, she smiled knowingly and added, "Besides...all that head-bobbing can be dangerous at our age. You could give yourself an anuerism!"

Inside Bill's Headquarters, Anger's Dad had been listening to the argument in silent fury. Now he felt that pent up energy inside of him beginning to boil over and his head started to smolder as he prepared to unleash his rage.

" **WHY THE NERVE WITH THAT WOMAN!"** He growled through gritted teeth as flames began sprouting from the top of his head.

" **HOW DARE SHE TALK BACK TO US LIKE THAT?!"** Now he gripped some levers on the console so tightly that his knuckles turned a shade of bright crimson as steam rose from his whole body and the others looked on worriedly as they felt that their leader was working himself into such a state of fury, that he may spontaneously combust at any moment!

" **SHE THINKS THAT SHE UNDERSTANDS WHAT I MEANS TO BE ANGRY?! I'LL SHOW HER WHAT ANGER TRUELY MEANS!"** With that, the Boss Emotion pushed those levers with every last particle of his being and the flames coming off his head almost reached to the ceiling as he screamed louder than he ever had before...

Then something very unusal happened. The other Emotions held their breaths with apprehension as they watched their leader become consumed with pure wrath.

They were expecting him to completely blow his fuse and maybe even incinerate the console with his flaming rage! But what happened instead was even more shocking than any of them could ever have imagined...

Just as Anger's Dad reached the climax of his scream, his eyes suddenly rolled back into his head and he crumpled into an unconscious (and rather undignified) heap on the floor!

Fear's Dad was the first to respond and he rushed over to their fallen leader, pointing out the obvious by yelling, **"Emotion down! I repeat Emotion down! We have a code red!"**

The other's gathered around their boss and gave each other worried looks as they tried to understand what had just happened to their powerful and indomitable leader…

XXX

Anger's Dad had no idea what had come over him. His head was pounding as though he had just been hit with a sledgehammer and all he could see was an intense red haze surrounding him like a hellish curtain.

The Boss Emotion had no idea that he was still lying on the floor unconscious. To him this nightmarish vision felt very real…in fact it seemed more like a distant memory from his past rather than an illusion brought on by overloading his mind.

"Ugggh…what happened?" He grumbled groggily to himself as he rubbed his sore head and looked around.

Slowly the bright red veil was beginning to lift and he caught a glimpse of trees and a large grassy area resembling a park or a meadow. He recognized this place…

"It's Family Island…" He mumbled as a confused furrow appeared on his brow. "What is the meaning of this?! How did I end up on Family Island?"

Suddenly a splitting pain surged through his head and Anger's Dad screwed his eyes shut and clutched his head in agony as a very loud, gravelly voice pierced his thoughts.

The voice was so loud and furious that the father Emotion couldn't understand what it was saying at first. But it was unmistakably _female_ and for some bizarre reason he thought he remembered hearing it before…?

"Ahhh! Make it stop…!" Anger's Dad pleaded. He felt like his brain was being melted, that's how intense that sound was!

To his surprise and tremendous relief, the voice seemed to obey his desperate plea and it subsided like the tide returning to sea.

The father Emotion slowly opened his eyes and waited as the pain dissipated from his head along with the voice.

"Holy Schnitzel! I must have blown a fuse or two!" He exclaimed as he shook his head to clear the fog that was enveloping his brain like the red mist that surrounded him. However he did notice that the red haze was no longer as thick as it had been and he could see more of his surroundings.

There was no question…he was definitely on Bill's Family Island.

The red Emotion exhaled sharply and stated, "That's it! I've definitely fried my brain this time! First I end up on Family Island for no logical reason, then I start hearing voices…"

Anger's Dad let out a flustered laugh and declared, "I've been working myself too hard lately! When this nightmare is over, I'm going to take a vacation…"

" **IS THAT WHAT I AM TO YOU?! A NIGHTMARE?!"** The gravelly voice boomed from behind him, making the father Emotion flinch from its sudden intensity.

He whipped around with a growing sense of dread and saw a shadowy figure standing a few yards away.

Gulping with apprehension, Anger's Dad put on his most intimidating voice and ordered, **"Who are you?! Show yourself!"**

The figure grumbled something he didn't understand and began walking slowly and deliberately towards him. As it approached, he saw that it was a fiery red lady clothed in a black leather jacket and leather pants with spiky rocker-style platform boots. She was short like him and rather fat with short dark brown hair that she wore punk-style.

Anger's Dad gasped from shock and took a step backwards. _She's an Anger Emotion like me!_

As she came closer, he saw her eyes were narrowed with resentment at him and her mouth was twisted in a savage snarl. Then he spotted the squirming red bundle in her arms that was screaming like something from the deepest corner of hell and Papa Anger suddenly felt his heart drop into his feet and the blood in his veins seemed to turn to ice.

Seeing his surprise, the female Anger stopped only feet from him and fire appeared to flash through her eyes as she shouted into his face, " **LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME YOU SON OF A DOG TURD!"**

Papa Anger wiped the spittle from his face and glanced down nervously at the screaming bundle in her arms. It was definitely _not_ a bundle of joy…instead he saw a furious bundle of snots and bad attitude!

 _It's a baby Anger!_ His mind concluded with dread.

As if reading his thoughts, the red baby Emotion proceeded to scream even louder and punched the air with its tiny fists. Its mouth was open so wide from its incessant wailing that the father Emotion could see both of its tonsils very clearly!

The female Emotion that must have been the baby's mother, grimaced from the awful noise and glared at the Boss Emotion with even more contempt in her eyes.

Then she showered him with a fresh wave of spit as she yelled, " **YOU NASTY TURD MASTER! THOUGHT YOU COULD MARK YOUR TERRITORY AND RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET WHILE I'M LEFT HOLDING THIS SNOTTY, FIERY LITTLE BRAT?!"**

"Well…I…urm…" the Boss Emotion struggled to come up with a decent response to that. But his mind had slowly put two and two together and he thought he finally understood what this whole nightmarish scene meant…

He vaguely recalled a memory from long ago when Bill and Jill had started dating. One night after going to an AC/DC concert, Bill had invited his new love back to his house for dinner and some drinks. Anger's Dad was pretty sure that at some point during that night, he met this angry (albeit hot) female Emotion on Family Island. What happened afterwards was still unclear to him, but apparently she was showing him proof right now…

Troubling thoughts raced through his mind before the undeniable reality set in. _It seems my worst fears have come true…did I really make THAT?!_ He risked another quick glance at the screeching red bundle in the female Emotion's arms and noticed that it was glaring back at him with undisguised hatred.

There was no longer any doubt. The Boss recognized himself in those vengeful little amber eyes and he knew then that it was definitely _his!_

He looked back up at the baby's mother and thought he caught the slightest hint of a smile touch her lips before she resumed sneering at him with those imposing eyes.

" **DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT HAS BEEN LIKE FOR ME?! THIS THING DOESN'T EVER STOP SCREAMING AND DEMANDING! I HAVEN'T SLEPT PROPERLY FOR WEEKS!"**

She looked down at her infant and despite her explosive rage, a look of love appeared in her eyes and she gently rocked the wailing bundle as her motherly instincts kicked in.

"Shhhhh. There, There little one." She crooned reassuringly.

The baby Anger was having none of it however, and to show its displeasure, it promptly kicked her in the ribcage with its tiny foot and screamed even louder than before as wisps of fire sprouted from its little head.

The mother Emotion nearly dropped her precious bundle as the tiny flames singed her arm and growled with frustration. Then she directed her rage back at her male counterpart who had been watching the whole interaction with a stupefied expression.

 **THAT'S IT! I HAVE HAD IT! YOU HELPED CREATE THIS LITTLE RED DEMON, NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!"**

With that the enraged mother held her even _more_ enraged infant at arm's length and started walking towards the Boss Emotion purposefully.

" **HERE! YOU TAKE IT…!"**

The father Emotion screamed from absolute terror and backed away as the wailing red baby was thrust into his face…

 _To Be Continued…_

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Talk about a rude awakening! Anger's Dad never saw that coming…**

 **This chapter with introducing the Emotion Fathers was originally meant to be much longer, (and don't worry! I do have the rest of it mapped out and ready to write!) But I decided that if I wrote it all in one chapter it would have turned out way too long…so instead I have decided to split the Father Reactions into two chapters!**

 **So this is only part one folks! There is still a lot more fun to be had with the Dads believe me!**

 **In the next chapter, we will get to see the other Dads' reactions when they find out exactly what their Boss saw in his** _ **'pleasant'**_ **vision…**

 **I know there was quite a lot of shouting and yelling in this chapter (I did my best to keep it rated PG) and not to worry, Bill didn't mean all those mean things he said to either Riley or Jill. Those were just Anger and his Mom doing their best to catch the Boss' attention! And what better way of getting an angry Emotion's attention than by making him mad…REAL MAD!**

 **After all, we are dealing with the Anger Family here…can you imagine how explosive things will get when all three actually meet up for real?!**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and be sure to stick around to find out what happens next!**

 **Svinorita.**


	8. Total Eclipse Of The Past?

Chapter 8.

Papa Anger opened his eyes groggily and groaned as he slowly came out of his comatose state. His vision was still blurry and he could faintly make out the voices of his coworkers nearby but his mind was still reeling from the nightmarish memory he had just relived.

The Boss Emotion grumbled in a dazed voice, "Somebody quick! Fix me a Johnnie Walker Red! Just straight…not on the rocks!"

Still lying on the floor, he reached a hand gingerly to his sore head and groaned, "I'll be surprised if I didn't already lose all my rocks and marbles…"

He noticed through his blurred vision something purple and fuzzy leaning over him and suddenly a feeling of dread descended on him as he blinked several times to try and clear his sight.

Slowly his focus became sharper and to his shock what did the Boss happen to see? It was none other than Fear's Dad hovering dangerously close to his face (so close in fact that he could have counted the individual hairs in the purple Emotion's moustache!)

The Boss' eyes flew open and he stared back with alarm into the startled gray eyes of his second-in-charge as the other Emotion jumped back from shock.

" **HEY! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS…?!"** The red Emotion barked indignantly. Then his gaze fell on the fire extinguisher poised conspicuously in Papa Fear's hand and he felt his blood beginning to boil.

" **WHY YOU INSUBORDINATE WALKING STICK! WERE YOU PLANNING ON HITTING ME OVER THE HEAD WITH THAT?!"**

The explosiveness made the purple Emotion recoil and he clutched the fire extinguisher to his chest as though he could hide behind it.

"N-no Sir! You mis…understand! It's n-not wha-what it looks like…!" he stuttered nervously.

Anger's Dad sat up abruptly and glared menacingly at the sorry-looking Emotion before declaring, **"OH DON'T TRY TO MAKE EXCUSES PRIVATE FEAR! YOU ARE THE LOWEST OF THE LOW! THOUGHT YOU COULD KICK ME WHEN I'M ALREADY DOWN…?!"**

Now the Boss started rolling up his sleeves in a threatening gesture as the purple Emotion let out a yelp of fright and gulped loudly whilst shaking his head desperately to try an appease his infuriated leader.

Before things got dangerously out of hand however, Disgust's Father stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the Boss. Then he stated in a relieved voice, "Perfect timing General!"

The green Emotion nodded briskly at Fear's Dad and explained, "He was ready to start giving you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!"

Anger's Dad got a sudden tic in his eye and his hand absently wiped his mouth as he turned his fiery glare back to the purple Emotion.

"What's the extinguisher for then?" He inquired in a strained voice.

Fear's Dad glanced at the fire extinguisher in his hand then took a deep breath and stammered, "Well…Sir…I thought I'd better have it ready just in case…I didn't want to scorch my lips! You have very hot lips Sir…"

The Boss raised his eyebrow quizzically and the others stifled laughs as Papa Fear realized his mistake and quickly corrected, "I don't mean it that way Sir! Out of deepest respect I just meant that you tend to get hot all over when you get mad…!"

Luckily Joy's Dad intervened and prevented any more embarrassment by saying, "Okay…moving along...What happened to you Sir? One minute you were all fired up and raging at the console and the next thing you just hit the deck cold!"

The Boss' eyes grew wide as he remembered his disturbing vision and he began breathing heavily as the reality sank in.

He turned a shade of hot pink as he whimpered, "My life is over! Anyone up for a game of Russian roulette? Give me a gun and six bullets and I'll play on my own…!"

Fear's Dad put the fire extinguisher down and with a worried expression on his face, he held up his hands defensively as his teeth started chattering.

"…Now…now Boss! You're making me really nervous with all this scary talk…"

Sadness' Father nodded in agreement and ventured, "He's right Sir. What happened to you when you were out cold? Did you remember something…?"

Papa Anger gave a small snort of bewilderment (although it ended up sounding more like a wheeze) and replied with a shell-shocked look in his eyes, "What did I remember you say…? I'll tell you exactly what I saw alright…"

He took a deep breath and spoke in a deathly serious voice, "It was like reliving a bad dream! Except this nightmare was real!"

His voice went up an octave as he blurted, "It appears that at some point in the past, I DID have a Missus…and a…a…BABY!"

The Boss shuddered as he remembered the screaming, hellish creature with those burning, vengeful eyes and he uttered, "…And what a baby it was! Not to mention the vile she-demon that was its mother! I feel like jumping into a volcano so those two angry creatures never find a trace of me…!"

There was a chorus of stunned gasps from the other Emotions as they listened to the information their Leader was disclosing to them. Is wasn't just the surreal news that shocked them all into speechlessness. They were all trying to picture the Boss as a proud papa with a screaming baby Emotion in his arms and in all honesty, none of them could see that happening!

And as if that disturbing revelation wasn't scary enough, now the Boss decided to drop another bombshell on all of them…

As Papa Anger stared at his troops a devilish glint appeared in his eyes and he snapped his fingers as though he just had a "Eureka!" moment and let out a mocking chuckle. The others began shifting uncomfortably and couldn't help wondering whether he had actually lost his marbles like he claimed to when he was still half-conscious.

"Now wait just a minute…" The Boss began as his coworkers looked on nervously.

"There's an Andersen Family and apparently there's an Anger Family as well, then that must mean…"

The Boss threw back his head and started laughing maniacally. Joy's Dad put his finger to his temple and made the _'he's definitely lost his marbles'_ gesture to his coworkers, who all nodded in agreement.

After a few seconds, the Boss finally managed to pull himself together, and standing as regally as he could he announced, "That means ALL of you simpletons have families as well but you're all too stupid to remember!"

This statement hit the other Emotions like a tidal wave and there was another round of gasps and moans as their leader's words echoed around inside their heads. Then as if coming out of a trance, one by one they tried to come to grips with this shocking revelation…

And it seems their reactions were just as varied as their individual personalities:

Joy's Dad stared off blankly into space, his blue eyes wide as he took in the news. Then slowly he nodded thoughtfully and his mouth twitched as a smile began to form on his lips.

Sadness' Dad looked down at the floor dejectedly and his eyes began to water as he thought about the mother and child he had neglected all this time.

Disgust's Dad had his face scrunched up as though he had detected an awful smell, then he stroked his chin and appeared to consider the implications this situation could have on his life.

Fear's Dad was hugging himself tightly and trembling from uncertainty, his axon; which he normally carried high in an aloof fashion, was now wound in a downwards facing spiral that was reminiscent of a terrified dog with its tail between its legs.

Anger's Dad meanwhile, watched his coworkers' expressions with a barely disguised smirk of satisfaction. After all, he had _his_ world turned upside down didn't he?! If he couldn't escape his demented reality, then there was something wickedly reassuring about letting the others know that _they_ were all in the same boat as he was!

A glimmer of pride flashed through his eyes and he couldn't help bragging, "That's right you dimwits! It seems I am the only brainy one around here! Maybe the rest of you need a kick in the butt from me to help jog your memories!"

There were uncomfortable murmurs from the other Emotions as they reluctantly agreed with their leader. How could they all have been so ignorant about something as important as knowing they have families out there? That each of them has children that they never even acknowledged the existence of! In fact if it wasn't for their temperamental Boss, then they'd all still be in the dark in this matter!

They were all indebted to the Boss for bringing the subject to their attentions. Although he could be volatile and difficult to get along with at times, they each had deep respect for their strong and overpowering leader. They were all trained to follow his orders without question (they didn't have much of a choice…it was either obey the Boss or get incinerated by his fury!)

So when the Boss made up his mind on a course of action, they usually gave their unquestionable support…even if they didn't always agree with his judgement.

Without further objections, the other Emotions nodded their consent and stood by expectantly to await their orders.

Anger's Dad meanwhile had been considering another possibility; one that made him smile despite the seriousness of the situation. It just dawned on him that during his vision of meeting his baby on Family Island, he never actually noticed the infant's gender…but he felt _certain_ without a doubt that he knew exactly what his child was...

Remembering the way it screamed incessantly and that defiant look in its eyes there was really no question in his mind…

Grinning fondly to himself, the Boss stated, "Wait a minute…maybe that angry little red terror turned into a beautiful Princess!"

He nodded in conviction and smiled with pride. "Yes! There's no question! She's definitely a little Princess! I know exactly what I'm going to name her too! I will call her _Angelica!"_

While the others listened in respectful silence to their leader's ranting, Fear's Dad had a thoughtful look on his face as he recalled something that had been bothering him for quite a while now…

The purple Emotion had been keeping secrets. Although their Boss was adamant that _he_ was the first to discover the truth about their lost families, Fear's Dad couldn't shake the feeling that all of this was linked to _himself_ somehow…?

Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he felt his heartbeat quicken from apprehension as everything seemed to become clear to him.

 _Of course! Why didn't I see it before?!_ He felt a warm glow of pride fill his chest as he looked challengingly at his over-confident leader.

"Forgive me for raining on your parade Sir, but I have something important to share that could help with this whole situation…"

The smile melted from Papa Anger's face and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his purple coworker.

"YOU?! What could you possibly know about any of this?" The Boss snapped irritably.

Was this ungrateful Walking Stick questioning his wisdom?! The Boss felt his temperature begin to rise as an all too familiar sense of rage started bubbling inside of him.

In a dangerously level voice, he warned. "Private Fear…Have you been withholding information from me?"

The purple Emotion swallowed nervously, but decided to stand his ground. Meeting the Boss' steely gaze he proceeded to make himself appear more intimidating by rising to his full height and curling his axon as high as possible.

In this stance, he towered above his leader and he thought he saw the briefest flashes of respect pass through the Boss' eyes…

Unlike Fear and his mother, Papa Fear was not your average coward. Although he was prone to panic just much as any other Fear Emotion, he did have an unusually confident air about him as well as a VERY high opinion of himself which set him apart from other members of his race. (Sure he may have been a little lacking in the brains department, but hey, one can't be perfect!)

Anger's Dad quickly regained his own composure and through gritted teeth he prompted, "Well be out with it Private! Go ahead and share your little insight with the rest of us…"

Now Fear's Dad felt as though his heart was pounding so hard that it was all he could do to keep himself from trembling all over! He wasn't about to let the others know just how terrified he really felt on the inside…

So taking a deep breath and puffing out his chest to make himself appear even more confident, he began to explain, "You see on those nights when I am lying awake in bed and unable to sleep, I like to try counting sheep. But lately instead of being able to concentrate on sheep, I kept hearing the words _Family Island_ being repeated over and over in my head…and let me tell you that counting the word _Family Island_ over and over again made me feel even more awake than asleep!"

There was some sniggering coming from the others as they tried to picture Fear's Dad counting sheep and Papa Anger raised his eyebrow questioningly but his expression remained serious.

Ignoring their reactions, Fear's Dad flicked his axon even higher so that now it was virtually standing straight up on his head with only the slightest curl in the tip.

Then he continued with dignity, "Anyway, like I said I kept hearing the words _Family Island_ again and again then one night, I heard this distant sweet voice saying ' _Open your mind…you are not alone'_. And after you told us what you saw in your vision Sir, I believe I understand what it all means now!"

A twinkle of pride flashed through Papa Fear's eyes as he stated, "I believe the messages I have been hearing and that sweet voice, was my Missus trying to reach out to me…I mean why wouldn't she?"

The purple Emotion slicked back his axon smoothly and gloated, "After all, how could she resist falling in love with this?! She must be one smart, foxy lady Fear! So that got me thinking that my Missus must have instigated all of this!"

He glanced apologetically at the Boss and shrugged. "So you see, before you had your revelation Sir, everything was already revealed to me – after all, we Fears are the smartest and oldest Emotions but no one ever gives us any credit or respect!"

Anger's Dad was truly left speechless. He always knew that the purple Emotion had a surprisingly big ego for his kind, but still he was _not_ expecting that! But slowly the shock turned to simmering rage and the Boss glowered threateningly at his second-in-charge.

"Hey! Who gave YOU bragging rights Mr. Smarty-Pants?! What makes you think that you have an answer for everything?!"

The infuriated Lead emotion took a menacing step forward and waved his fist in Papa Fear's face. "Most of the time I look at you and get the impression of _: Houston! We have a problem! My axon is receiving scrambled signals!"_

Fear's Dad flinched a little at his Boss' explosive accusations, but instead of letting the subject drop he mumbled defiantly, "At least I don't short-circuit my fuse…I mean we all had a demonstration of that a few minutes ago!"

Now the Boss was doing everything in his power to control his rage, but boy was it difficult! The Walking Stick was really pushing his luck today!

"Very well Private Fear. That's how you want to play it then fine!" The Boss waved his arm dismissively and declared, "You claim your Missus was pointing you towards Family Island and I _definitely_ saw myself on Family Island in my vision, so I guess that Family Island is where we need to be to make this work."

Now he smiled cruelly at the purple Emotion and said in his most commanding voice, "But I need not remind you that you have overstepped your rank Private, and for disobeying orders I am sending you to the back of the line! You are hereby the last to see your family after the rest of us have all had our turns!"

Papa Fear felt as though a dagger was being stabbed into his heart. His axon flopped down his neck listlessly and he whined, "But Sir! That isn't fair!"

"Don't give me any buts Private! I am your leader and that is my final decision!"

The Boss gave a grunt of dismissal and rumbled matter-of-factly, "By the way, we Anger Emotions have been around just as long as you Fears! So don't go bragging about stuff you don't know, Walking Stick!"

The purple Emotion sighed miserably and his proud posture turned into a slouch as he accepted his fate without further argument.

Sadness' Dad tried to break the tension in the air by stating, "Come on guys, let's all just follow the rules and listen to the Boss' orders…after all he is our General."

The other Emotions mumbled their assent and Papa Anger smiled smugly to himself.

 _At least I still have authority around here…_

Seizing the initiative, Sadness' Dad decided to switch the focus back to the topic of their children and ventured timidly, "So guys...what do you think about this whole family scenario? The Boss seems adamant that he has a daughter…"

The blue Emotion glanced at his Leader who returned his look with a nod of conviction and a half-smile that seemed to say _'Go on…'_

Feeling reassured that he has the Boss' approval, Sadness' Dad addressed the others with renewed confidence in his voice, "…I was wondering what about the rest of us?"

The blue Emotion turned his attention to Joy's Dad first and asked, "Do you think you have a son or a daughter?"

The yellow Emotion let out a light-hearted laugh and without hesitation, he stated, "I think a little miss would be lovely…but then again so would a little mister!"

He beamed exuberantly and declared, "I can't decide! Maybe even both! Wouldn't that be just wonderful?!"

Disgust's father shook his head peevishly and chided, "Oh it's always that same with you, Mister Bright and Cheerful! Indecisions! Indecisions! Why do you have to make everything so complicated?"

The green Emotion rolled his eyes and huffed, "With your happy-go-lucky attitude, I really wouldn't be surprised if you do have both!"

Joy's Dad just shrugged his coworker's comments off and remarked, "And why not my man? The more the merrier in my books! You can never have enough Joy in the world!"

With that, the yellow Emotion began singing merrily to himself, "Don't worry…be happy…!"

Papa Disgust sighed in exasperation and turned to face Sadness' Dad, giving him a standoffish glare.

"What about you Mister Blue and Sorrowful? Since you started this _insightful_ conversation, do you care to share your thoughts on the subject?"

The blue Emotion looked down shyly and responded quietly, "Actually, I think a little girl would be nice. Everybody around here already sees me as a wimp…but if I have a little daughter I'd be there to listen to her whenever she feels sad."

He sniffled and wiped a small tear from his eye as he added in a shaky voice, "I would be there to comfort her and be her rock and shoulder to cry on…"

Unable to control the flood of tears any longer, Papa Sadness buried his face in his hands and began weeping pitifully.

Anger's Dad smacked his forehead with his palm and grumbled, "Do we have any volunteers that are interested in joining the lifeguard? We might need to plan ahead in case he and his daughter get together and start crying not only a river, but an ocean!"

The Boss shook his head dismissively and looked at Papa Disgust. "How about you Private Green? Am I the only one wearing the pants around here?"

Disgust's Dad smirked knowingly and beaming with confidence, he declared, "I'm pretty sure that I have a son!"

He crossed his arms defiantly and stated, "Yeah! I feel certain without a doubt that it's a son! And he's probably just as handsome and outspoken as his dad!"

The green Emotion got a twinkle of pride in his eye as he proceeded to lecture the others, "Think about how great it would be if me and my boy got together and could teach the rest of you how to look after yourselves better! There'll be none of this chocolate and sweet garbage! We could show you all how to cook delicious broccoli recipes!"

"After all…you have to put the right food into your body if you want to look this good!" With that, Papa Disgust went to the back of the room where there was a full-length mirror and struck a few poses.

"What about you Fear?" the green Emotion asked over his shoulder as he continued admiring his lean and toned physique.

Hearing his name, Papa Fear's axon sprang upright like an antenna and he regained his arrogant posture as he gloated, "With this superior genepool I can see only one outcome: a son! And I bet he's a chip off the old block! None of this sissy Momma's Boy stuff!"

The purple Emotion shot the others a sleazy look and slicked back his axon as he oozed self-confidence.

Then he blatantly stated, "Back in my prime, I pulled more ladies than George Clooney and Brad Pitt combined! After all, how could they resist this?!"

Disgust's father turned to Papa Joy and mumbled under his breath, "Yeah, they couldn't get rid of him like a bad smell…"

The yellow Emotion snickered and high-fived his green coworker.

Fear's Dad narrowed his eye at the green Emotion and challenged, "Now I know why you are green…you're green from envy! I bet my son is a perfect specimen! Why he probably has girls lined up for miles just waiting to get a look at him!"

The Boss stepped forward and announced in a loud commanding voice, "Are you all done with your egotistic tirades? After all it has been unanimously decided…I am going first!"

The other Emotions all mumbled under their breaths, "Yeah, unanimously decided by yourself…"

The Boss shot them a questioning glare and they promptly stood to attention and answered in unison, "YES SIR!"

"Good." Anger's Dad nodded in satisfaction. Then he started pacing in front of his men like a General inspecting his army before halting abruptly and giving them all a serious look.

"All we need now is to decide which day this rendezvous should take place…" He grumbled whilst stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Joy's Dad stepped forward and raised his hand eagerly as he addressed the Lead Emotion, "I have a suggestion Sir. What about this Friday? After all Friday is Bill's favorite day of the week! That's when work is finished for the week and he can look forward to unwind and put his feet up for the weekend, watch the game on TV and enjoy his favorite glass of red wine…"

Papa Anger was silent for a moment as he considered the yellow Emotion's suggestion. But a devilish grin was already spreading across his red face and he locked eyes with his cheerful coworker before giving a final nod of approval.

"You took the words right out of my mouth Private Joy. Maybe I should have made _you_ my second-in-command instead of that arrogant, conceited Walking Stick over there!"

He jabbed a finger at Fear's Dad who had crossed his arms over his chest and was giving his Boss the stink-eye.

Papa Anger looked back to Joy's Dad with undisguised respect in his eyes and stated, "You and I seem to think along the same wavelength!"

Fear's Dad was still nursing his bruised ego and he tried to look as menacing as he could as he blurted out indignantly, "Sure you do Boss! That would explain that _'lost in space'_ look you've been tending to get lately!"

From beside him, Disgust's Dad snorted as he struggled to suppress a laugh while Sadness' father gave a deflated sigh and shook his head miserably.

Joy's Dad raised his eyebrow, then shrugged dismissively and went back to enjoying his little moment of glory.

Papa Anger looked for all the world like he wanted to give the brash Fear Emotion a seriously good thrashing, but incredibly he managed to rein in his fury and instead settled on glowering at the loud-mouthed Walking Stick with contempt.

 _Of all the Fear Emotions in the world, why did I have to get stuck in the same mind with possibly the most obnoxious and unbelievably pompous one in existence!_ The Boss thought to himself dismally.

Mustering all the self-control he could possibly manage, Papa Anger spoke through gritted teeth, "That's settled then…this Friday I'm going into uncharted territory!"

Then he gave his coworkers a sorry look as though this could be the last time they receive any orders from their brave, self-sacrificing leader and added gravely, "I can't promise any of you that I will return from my harrowing encounter alive…but if everything goes as planned, then the rest of you will all get your turns as well!"

The other Emotions saluted their leader respectfully and shouted "YES BOSS!"

Papa Anger cringed and groaned in annoyance as his head began to smolder.

" **ENOUGH WITH THE BOSS THING ALREADY!"** He roared in frustration.

" **HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU MORONS?! YOU CAN CALL ME SIR OR GENERAL OR WHATEVER BUT STOP CALLING ME BOSS!"**

The others flinched from the unexpected explosiveness and gave their leader looks of apology as they all muttered, "Sorry Bos- uh Sir…!"

The Lead Emotion took a deep breath to try and calm his rage as he continued in a level voice, "That's just insulting…I am a much better guitarist than Bruce Springsteen!"

Xxx

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **There you go folks! I promised you fun with the Dads and I really hope I was able to deliver on my promise! I really enjoyed writing about Bill's Emotions and I hope I managed to keep them all as much in character as possible…**

 **Just one thing I want to mention about that that some of you may be wondering: why does Fear's Dad appear so sleazy and full of himself in this story? Well maybe it's just my impression of his character, but whenever I watched scenes of Bill's Emotions from the movie, he always struck me as the type of character who would be rather egotistic and over-confident in his opinions despite him being a coward just like any other Fear Emotion.**

 **After all, he is the second-in-charge in Bill's Headquarters and I think he would need to be a little unconventional if he wants to maintain his position in his leader's shadow?**

 **The other Father Emotions seem more or less the same in their personalities as their children, although Papa Anger is even more volatile than his son (or should I say Princess?) because he needs to maintain order and respect from the others.**

 **What did you all think of the Dads' guesses about their children's' gender? I think most of them are in for a huge shock when they finally meet their families (for one thing, Anger's Dad is expecting a little Angelica!)**

 **The next step will be the** _ **actual**_ **family reunions and seeing as how it would be impossible to have more than one family present in Riley's mind at one time, I will try to devote a chapter for each individual Emotion family so they all get their chance in the spotlight!**

 **I realize this Author's Note is turning into a bit of a chapter itself, so I am going to wrap it up soon…but before I do, I just want to mention that I am working on an idea for another story and I want to try writing that up and see how it pans out…**

 **Thank you all for reading and enjoying this story! I hope you all enjoyed meeting the loco/macho Dads!**

 **I want to extend a special thanks to Orangebird124, HollyAnne1084 and Tripledent for your awesome reviews :) Thanks guys!**

 **This story still has quite a few chapters in it so be sure to stick around and find out what happens next!**

 **Svinorita**


	9. All Fired Up! Anger Family

**Hey dear readers! Here we are! We are finally going to see each Emotion Family reuniting at last! But before you start reading about the first of our family reunions, I need to mention something important otherwise you may be a little confused…**

 **I decided to give ALL the Emotions individual names (that means Riley's Emotions, the Mom Emotions and the Dads) for this story! Some of you may like the names I managed to come up with and some may find the idea a bit silly, but I promise you that I will be using these names** **only** **for this story and not in any of my other stories. The reason why I chose to do this is simple…now that we are dealing with whole families of Emotions, I couldn't just keep calling them Anger, Anger's Mom, Anger's Dad and so on…**

 **So I came up with the idea that each family has secret names that they have given each other in the past and only when they are together, did they remember these names! I will still occasionally refer to Riley's Emotions by their common names in addition to their special names but the parents I will be calling by their unique names as soon as they are revealed.**

 **So hopefully that clears up some things and I really hope you read on and enjoy the first of our Emotional reunions: get ready to meet the Anger Family!**

 **Svinorita**

* * *

Chapter 9.

"Mom! My nose is running and my head feels really hot…!" Riley whined miserably from the lounge room.

The poor girl was stretched out on the sofa with a tissue pressed under her nose, which was already looking very red and raw from her constant rubbing. A few days ago she had suddenly come down with a nasty case of the flu and she was not happy…

From the direction of the kitchen, came Jill's sympathetic reply, "I know Sweetie. You have the flu. Just take the medication that Dr. Kumar prescribed for you and I'll bring you some chamomile tea with honey shortly."

Riley groaned dismally and pressed a hand to her aching forehead. "This sucks so bad…"

Over on the other couch, Bill moaned in equal discomfort and complained pitifully, "Jilly…! Is my chicken soup ready yet? I can't breathe…"

Jill gave a little growl of frustration and replied as patiently as she could, "Come on Bill! Stop being a baby! I know you have the flu as well…I'm trying here!"

With that, Jill placed Riley's cup of tea on a tray and turned to the stove to stir Bill's chicken soup. She let out a long sigh of resignation and gingerly massaged her aching temples. She was feeling a little under the weather as well but there was no one to make _her_ some soup or tea!

One hour later, father and daughter were both sedated and sleeping and quiet was once again restored to the Andersen household. After serving everybody and listening to their complaining, Nurse Jill sat down in the armchair opposite her two 'patients' and decided to rest her own tired eyes.

Within half an hour, the whole family was sound asleep.

XXX

Inside Riley's Headquarters, Anger was nervously pacing up and down as he prepared to go to Family Island to meet his long-lost parents.

Joy smiled encouragingly at her red coworker and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Anger! I'm sure everything will be just fine! Aren't you excited to finally meet your mom and dad?"

Anger's eyes seemed to get wider with trepidation and for a moment, he appeared to resemble Fear more than his own fiery, tough self.

He gave an uncertain grunt in response and resumed his antsy pacing. From beside him, a look of revelation dawned on Joy's face and wagging her finger in the red Emotion's face, she proceeded to lecture him like a mother talking to a naughty toddler:

"Now Anger…I know you can be pretty loud when you want to be. And if your parents are anything like you then they are probably just as loud. But Riley is sick at the moment and she has finally managed to fall asleep and get some much needed rest."

She intercepted Anger's path as he paced towards her and gripped his shoulders firmly, looking him deeply in the eyes as she pleaded, "So please when you get together out there, try to keep the yelling and shouting down for Riley's sake!"

Anger stared back at her with a blank expression before muttering, "Yeah, yeah, yeah…whatever. I'm too nervous to think about that right now."

Then he shrugged off her grip absently and made his way over to the Recall Tube that would take him to his destination.

As he was leaving, Joy heard him mumble gloomily, "I don't even know if I'll be able to talk when I get there…much less shout..."

XXX

At Family Island, Momma Anger was the first to arrive. She had her arms crossed and was looking around edgily as she grumbled, "Huh typical! I always end up having to wait for my boys…!"

She ground her teeth and a few sparks of irritation began smoldering on her head. Then she heard the sound of little footsteps approaching, and all the anger drained out of her. Turning towards the sound, she watched expectantly as her long-lost son hesitantly came up to her and her frown turned into a smile of pride at the sight of him.

Anger met his mother's proud gaze and smiled back shyly before his eyes darted back to the ground uncomfortably.

Momma Anger felt like her heart would melt from love and with tears of joy in her eyes she said, "Oh my baby…I never thought I would get to see you again! You have grown so much since I last saw you!"

Anger looked up meekly at his momma and ventured, "Hey there Ma'am…I mean Mother."

 _Mother_ …that word felt so foreign and strange on his lips. Yet at the same time, Anger found it soothing and natural. Saying it aloud to this female Emotion that he had never known before this very moment made his heart beat faster and his breath come out in short gasps as an equally foreign feeling took hold of him: love.

Momma Anger stepped closer to her son and held out her arms invitingly as she crooned, "There, there my Handsome Little Spark. Are you still young enough to let your momma give you a hug?"

Anger smiled back fondly and gave the tiniest of nods. The other Emotions thought of him as being this tough no-nonsense type that didn't like any touchy-feely interactions. And that was true to a point…if any of the others tried to give him a hug, Anger would glare threateningly at them or even swing a punch if he felt they were invading his personal space.

But deep down he secretly longed to experience that closeness. Although he would never admit to it, he sometimes felt lonely and misunderstood. Having someone give him a warm hug to show they care about him…Anger thought that would feel nice.

"Well I guess so…" he agreed timidly as he felt his cheeks burning. Luckily he was red all over, so he doubted that his mother would notice him blushing!

Then he added in a quiet whisper, "I never get any hugs from anyone…only Sadness sometimes tries to give me a friendly pat on the back."

Momma Anger wiped a tear of happiness from her eye as she scooped her son into her arms and held him tightly. A small grunt of surprise escaped from Anger as he found himself wrapped in her strong embrace, but almost instantly he felt all the tension leave his body and he reciprocated her gesture gratefully.

 _This does feel nice…_ He thought to himself smugly.

Suddenly, mother and son found their special bonding moment interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps marching towards them. Anger gave an uncharacteristic yelp of surprise and quickly hid behind his mother's back as Papa Anger appeared on the scene.

For a few tense moments the two parent Emotions eyed each other grumpily as Anger cowered behind his mom's back, too nervous to risk a glance at his Old Man. Momma Anger growled warningly under her breath like a mother bear protecting her cub while Papa Anger gave her a genuine nod of respect.

Then it seemed as if a flood of memories came crashing down on both the adult Emotions and their postures relaxed slightly as Family Island slowly worked its magic and brought previously suppressed memories back to the surface in both their minds.

Momma Anger gave her husband a devilish grin as she remembered his secret name and placing her hands on her hips, she teased, "Ah _Angus_! You still look like a prime rump steak after all these years!"

Papa Anger snorted haughtily and countered, "And _Agnesssss_ …you still sound like a spitting cobra!"

Momma Anger (a.k.a. **Agnes** ) raised her eyebrow challengingly at her male counterpart but decided to keep quiet. She didn't want to start a heated argument for Anger supremacy in front of her son…he needed both his parents to remain civil throughout this reunion otherwise the poor little fellow might end up scarred for life!

Papa Anger (a.k.a. **Angus** ) leaned forward and in his sweetest voice coaxed, "Come out from behind your mother's back little Angelica, and say hello to your Daddy…"

There was a loud growl of indignation from behind Agnes' back as Anger stepped out to face his Old Man and grumped in a very un-angelic voice, "Jeez Pops! Give me a moment to clip on my little plastic wings and put on my gold halo!"

Angus' jaw dropped from shock and he ended up tripping over his own feet and landing on his butt with a loud "Oomph!" as he desperately tried to back away from the fuming red Emotion waving his finger threateningly in his face!

"It's a boy?!" the father Emotion wheezed in stunned disbelief.

Anger ground his teeth and glared daggers at his father. His breathing was so agitated that his whole body was trembling from the effort and steam rose menacingly from the top of his head.

Through gritted teeth he sniped, "I guess I am! What were you expecting?! A rabbit or a guinea pig?!"

Angus waved his hands submissively in a desperate attempt to appease his enraged son and stammered, "No, no, no! A boy is good! Better than good actually…it's great! I always wanted a son!"

The father Emotion slowly climbed to his feet and offered his hand to his son like a defeated General calling for a truce. "Come here son! Let's shake hands and forget about this little misunderstanding!"

Anger grumbled something incoherent to himself and shook his father's hand roughly. "Nice to meet you too Pops!"

He squeezed Angus' hand hard and the father Emotion let out a small yelp of pain as he broke off the handshake.

"Wow…you have quite a strong grip there son…" he commented as he rubbed his bruised hand tentatively.

A flash of pride appeared in Anger's eyes and he puffed out his chest defiantly. "Yes I know…"

Suddenly a curious thought formed in Anger's mind as he remembered how his parents had greeted each other upon arrival and he shot his father a questioning look.

"Wait a minute…I heard you call mom Agnes and she called you Angus when you arrived here. What's with the name thing anyway?"

Angus cleared his throat and shuffled his feet uncomfortably as if he had been expecting this question to come up soon. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could answer Anger cut him off by demanding, "And why on Earth would you think I was someone named Angelica?!"

Agnes covered her mouth with her hand and sniggered silently as she thought about her baby boy being called _Angelica_.

Angus kneaded his hands together nervously and avoiding eye contact with his son, he started to explain, "Well son when your mother and I first met, we had to come up with some informal way of addressing each other. I couldn't just call your mother _"Hey You!"_ whenever I wanted to ask her something, and we couldn't both call each other _'Anger'_ because that would have become quite confusing…."

He looked up apprehensively and stated, "So we decided to choose names for each other that we liked."

He shot Agnes a hesitant look and smiled meekly, "When I first saw your mother, she looked like an Agnes to me so I started calling her that."

Anger nodded slowly and turned to face his mother. "And why did you decide to call Pops Angus?"

Agnes gave a snort of amusement and flatly stated, "Well I thought Angry Angus sounded like a pretty appropriate name for someone as stubborn and opinionated as your father!"

Anger looked from one parent to the other and felt a twinge of excitement building in his chest. "Wow! I never knew Emotions have names! Does that mean…"

Suddenly his eyes lit up and Anger rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Do I have a secret name too?!"

Angus shrugged and looked questioningly at his wife. "I don't know son. Clearly my name choice for you was deemed _inappropriate_ so you'll have to ask your mother that."

Agnes smiled lovingly at her son and nodded proudly. "Of course you do my Little Spark! And wait until you hear the noble name I have chosen for you…"

Anger was practically jumping up and down from excitement now as he chanted, "Oh let me guess! Let me guess! Is it _Alexander the Great?_! Or maybe _Attila the Hun_ …?!"

Agnes chuckled softly and replied, "Oh no baby. The name I have given you is much better than any of those! Are you ready to hear it?"

Anger gave a squeal of delight that sounded eerily like something Joy would do and begged, "Please tell me Momma! The suspense is killing me!"

"Okay! Here it is son!" Agnes placed a tender hand on Anger's shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. "Your name is **Amadeus**!"

The smile melted instantly from Anger's face and was replaced with a deep withering scowl as he blurted out indignantly, "WHAT KIND OF SISSY NAME IS THAT?!"

He turned to face his father for support but Angus just nodded in approval and stated, "Well your mother always had a fondness for music…especially rock n' roll."

A sheepish smile appeared on the father Emotion's face as he gave Agnes a flirtatious look. "It's what brought us together in the first place!"

Agnes just rolled her eyes in exasperation at her Casanova of a husband.

Angus cleared his throat and looked at his son with pride as he offered, "I believe she named you after some great Austrian rock musician!"

"Or was it punk?" He muttered as he tapped his chin thoughtfully.

Agnes sighed dramatically and corrected, "Actually I named you after the great composer _Wolfgang_ _Amadeus Mozart_!"

She smiled fondly at her son and gently traced a finger down his disappointed face as she crooned, "You are my little Amadeus because ever since you were born, you have had a temper of classical proportions!"

Angus picked up on his son's discomfort and decided to try and spare him any further embarrassment by placing his hand on Anger's shoulder and engaging in some light conversation.

"So Amadeus…I mean son! If you are anything like me, then I bet you love music don't you?"

He gave Anger's shoulder a compassionate squeeze and declared confidently, "Let me guess! Your favorite band is AC/DC isn't it?!"

Anger grunted irritably and announced flatly, "Actually Dad I prefer Pat Benatar and Suzi Quatro."

Angus got a mischievous glint in his eye and gave his son a respectable pat on the back. "You do son?! Well it seems you have some fine taste then!"

He shot Agnes a sly look and declared proudly, "You see Agnes? It looks like our boy has a crush on some classy ladies!"

Agnes nodded with equal pride and said, "Well Angus, he's almost a teenager isn't he?"

Anger shuffled his feet uncomfortably. He felt like his whole head was on fire! So much for Dad trying to spare him any embarrassment! As usual, when Angus tried to fix something he only ended up making it ten times worse!

And unfortunately, the Old Man wasn't done 'helping' just yet.

Anger looked on worriedly as Angus adjusted his necktie and cracked his knuckles like he was preparing to show him how to shadow box or something.

"It's cool that you happen to be a Suzi Quatro fan son. Because back in her prime, Suzi was quite the guitarist!"

Now the father Emotion spread his feet apart and positioned his arms in a way that mimicked how a person would hold a guitar (except the 'guitar' in this case seemed to be nothing but air) and fixed his son a confident smile.

"You haven't heard yet, but let me tell you son that I play a _mean_ guitar! Allow me to demonstrate!"

And with that, Angus launched himself into his most impressive air guitar performance as Anger and his mother watched with a mixture of bewilderment and pity.

Angus meanwhile was throwing everything he had into his performance…in fact he ended up getting a little too carried away as he brought out every guitar move in the book: he started with the 'Duck Walk' then flawlessly transitioned to the 'Stomp and Stagger' before giving his best 'Jump' with legs spread in a scissor motion. Upon landing, he demonstrated some 'Dramatic Picking' Kurt Cobain style, eyes fixed angrily on his imaginary instrument as he strummed furiously.

Anger and his mother exchanged confused looks and shrugged in unison as Angus prepared to unleash his trademark move: Headbanging!

Angus gave a shout of victory and closing his eyes, leaned forward and started swinging his head in crazy circles as far as his short neck would allow. Unfortunately, his neck was not exactly designed for this purpose, and after a few successful rotations, Angus felt a muscle pop sickeningly out of place…

The father Emotion froze mid-head swing and let out a sharp yelp of pain as Agnes and Anger exchanged concerned glances.

"Damn it!" Angus moaned in pain and gingerly rubbed his sore neck. I think I popped a muscle in my neck! This stings so much…!"

Agnes shook her head and mumbled something sarcastically under her breath as she stepped up to the wounded father Emotion.

"Here. Let me give you a neck massage you crazy old dog!" She started kneading Angus' short neck with her tough stubby fingers and it wasn't long before he felt her push the displaced muscle back into its natural position.

The father Emotion let out a grateful sigh and remarked, "Oh Agnes! You still haven't lost your touch!"

Agnes snorted humorlessly and sniped, "Maybe you should consider playing a safer instrument at your age Old Man…how about the harp or the ukulele?"

XXX

The rest of the evening went smoothly for the Anger Family as the three Emotions enjoyed their first get-together as a family since Riley was born. After spending about two hours together, Papa Anger (Angus) decided it was time to wrap up their little rendezvous and return to each of their respective hosts' minds.

Spreading his arms wide, the father Emotion beamed proudly at his family and said, "Come here my son! Time for one last family hug before we go our separate ways!"

For once in his life, Anger didn't protest about allowing himself to be embraced by others. In fact he welcomed the gesture with open arms (literally!) and threw one arm around his mom and the other around his dad as they both held him in a loving embrace.

Agnes felt pride swell inside her chest as she gave her son a tender peck on the head and whispered softly, "My boys! I'm so glad I finally found you both again! It has been so long since I felt this way!"

She felt a small tear forming in the corner of her eye and quickly wiped it away before her son or husband could notice.

"I know it's not possible for us to meet like this all the time, but I really hope we all get to see each other again at least sometimes. And from now on I will remember you both and cherish this day for the rest of my life!"

Angus smiled warmly and replied, "Me too Agnes. We must have done something right when we created this Bright Little Spark!"

He gave his son a playful noogie on the top of the head, (much to Anger's annoyance!) and received a few scorched knuckles for his actions.

The father Emotion quickly blew out the embers that had caught on his hand, and reminded his son sheepishly, "Don't forget to practice your air guitar son! One day you may even be as good as your Old man!"

Anger gave a small chuckle of appreciation and replied, "Oh I won't Pa. And if we ever meet again, can I read you some poetry?"

Angus scratched his head and studied his son with a confused expression. "What son? You like to read about _pottery?"_

Agnes slapped her forehead with her palm as Anger gave a deep sigh of resignation. "Never mind Dad…"

He looked fondly at both his parents and gave them each a grateful smile. "I never thought I'd say this, but I've never felt this happy in my life! I never experienced anything like this before…all this attention and so many hugs! I am really proud to have you as my parents!"

"Aww…my sweet little Amadeus!" Agnes purred as she wrapped her son in another crushing hug.

Angus' eyes glowed with pride and he nodded in agreement. "And I am so proud to call you my son, Amadeus!"

Anger flinched and thought to himself dismally, _'I really wish they'd stop calling me that! I would rather be called just Anger instead of that sissy name!'_

But he kept his opinion to himself and decided to just enjoy the moment.

After a few minutes, Angus cleared his throat to get the others' attentions and pointed out, "I don't want to break this special moment, but we really need to wrap things up soon. Our hosts are all feeling under the weather and when they wake up, they'll need their Angers to help kick that nasty virus to smithereens!"

"You're right Angus." Agnes agreed reluctantly.

Suddenly an important thought flashed through her mind and she added, "That reminds me, I promised to tell my coworkers about my experience here today when I return to Jill's mind. And since Mother Sadness is our boss, it only seems fair that she should be allowed to visit her family next."

Angus nodded his assent and remarked, "Very well Agnes. In that case, I'll be sure to put in a word with Private Blue when I return to Bill's Headquarters and let him know that he's up next."

Anger listened respectfully to this exchange and added helpfully, "Wait you mean Sadness' folks will be meeting next? Great! When I get back to Headquarters, I'll pass on the message to Sadness! I know she will be over the moon after hearing that!"

XXX


	10. Made Of Stars - Sadness Family

**Author's Note:**

 **Greetings again all you wonderful readers out there! I know I don't usually put the Author's Note section at the beginning of my chapters but I just wanted to mention a few things before we get started with the Teardrop Family…**

 **Well I hope you all enjoyed meeting the Anger Family in the previous chapter :)** **After all the fiery, temperamental action we saw from Anger (a.k.a. Amadeus) and his parents, I think we are due for a change of pace!**

 **This time we get to meet the adorable Teardrop Family as Sadness is reunited with her mom and dad. I know there are many Sadness fans out there so I don't really need to explain what to expect from this reunion…there will be lots of tears (mostly of the happy kind – or as** _ **happy**_ **as Sadness can be anyway!) and loads of sweetness and cuteness coming up in this chapter (I just hope I didn't overdo it with said sweetness/cuteness?)**

 **Once again just like with the Anger Family, Sadness and her parents have secret names too and hopefully you'll enjoy what I've managed to come up with for them!**

 **Now when I initially started writing this chapter, I didn't think it would turn out very long but as often turns out to be the case with all my chapters, I end up writing something much longer than I first anticipated! I hope the length doesn't put some of you off and that you stick around and decide to read on :)** **(We still have 3 more families to go after this reunion!)**

 **Finally, I just want to give a HUGE thank you to Orangebird124, HollyAnne1084 and Tripledent for your awesome reviews on this story! Thank you also to any other readers who have been enjoying this story so far but didn't leave reviews…as long as I am able to bring a smile to your faces with my work, that's reward enough for me :)**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

Chapter 10.

It was the end of another long and tiring working week, and Bill Andersen was looking forward to spending some quality, bonding time with his family. Once dinner was over and everyone was feeling full and content, Bill decided that they ought to have a fun family movie night in, just like they used to back in Minnesota when Riley was younger.

Ah yes! Those were the good old days…

So, with his mind filled with nostalgia for those carefree days gone by, Bill approached his wife; Jill after dinner and shared his suggestion with her.

"What exactly did you have in mind, my hardworking husband?" Jill asked teasingly as she wiped a plate and casually put it away in one of the kitchen cabinets.

Bill chuckled happily and offered, "How about a nice movie night as a family, like in old times sake? Remember how we used to love spending Friday nights watching movies together when Riley was little? Why don't we have a little family bonding session in front of the TV tonight?"

Jill raised an eyebrow skeptically at her husband's enthusiasm. She knew from past experiences that whenever it was Bill's turn to suggest a movie for them to watch as a family, his idea of the _perfect_ movie was not always shared by the other members of the Andersen family.

Seeing the doubt on her face, Bill gave a hearty laugh and exclaimed, "Oh don't worry Jill! Wait till you see what I've picked! It's a real family classic!"

With that, he dashed excitedly into the lounge room to retrieve his prize. When he returned his face was beaming with joy as he declared, "Look! It's an all-time Andersen family favorite!"

He held up a DVD case depicting a wild-looking man wearing a loincloth, swinging from a jungle vine whilst holding an attractive auburn haired lady around the waist. A tiny caption at the bottom of the case read "The must-see film of the year!"

 _However that year happened to be 1939…_

"Really Bill? Tarzan?!" Jill retorted in quiet amazement as she studied her husband's beaming face.

Bill's smile wavered slightly at Jill's lack of enthusiasm but he managed to maintain his optimism as he declared encouragingly, "Not just any Tarzan my Dear! It's none other than the king of Tarzans! The one and only original Tarzan; Johnny Weismuller!"

Jill rolled her eyes in an unimpressed fashion and pointed out flatly, "But Bill…it's too old! That movie is in black and white!"

Bill snorted in mock astonishment and proclaimed, "So what?! It's a _classic_ Jill! We both enjoyed watching it as kids and again as adults!"

Bill glanced over at Riley, who was quietly watching TV and added in a confident voice, "Besides, I know our daughter would love to see some antics from Cheetah the Chimpanzee!"

Upon hearing this, Riley looked over at her parents with growing excitement as a huge smile crept across her face.

"Yeah that sounds like fun! I love Cheetah! Can we watch it Mom?! Can we?!" she begged whilst giving her mother the puppy-dog eyes.

Jill let out a defeated sigh and mumbled grudgingly, "Oh fine! You win Bill…"

Bill and Riley looked at each other and laughed happily. Bill gave his daughter a high-five as Jill shook her head in resignation. However she couldn't prevent a tiny smile of satisfaction from appearing on her face as she watched her husband and daughter enjoying a sweet father/daughter bonding moment.

Bill gave a nod of approval and cheered, "That's settled then! Tarzan it is!"

Then he puffed out his chest and did his best Tarzan impersonation as he announced, "Tarzan go wash now!"

He pointed to Jill and instructed, "Jane go to kitchen and make popcorn!"

Then he turned to Riley and tried to imitate a gorilla as he said, "You Cheetah! Go bring any snacks you like!"

Riley gave a squeal of delight as he started chasing her around the room while making silly monkey noises.

Oh yes! This was going to be a fun night…

XXX

As the Andersen's were settling down for some good-natured family fun, inside Riley's Headquarters Sadness was pacing in front of the console nervously, stopping every now and then to wipe a rogue tear from her eye and giving a despondent sigh.

The little blue Emotion glanced up at the monitor with anticipation as she stuffed an extra handkerchief up the sleeve of her sweater…she decided that she may be needing several back-up hankies for the next couple of hours...

The moment she had been dreaming about for weeks was finally here! Today she was going to meet her long-lost parents at last!

But now that the fateful day had finally arrived, Sadness found herself having second-thoughts about her little family reunion. It's not that she didn't _want_ to see her parents…she had been dying to meet them ever since she discovered that Fear's mother had been secretly contacting him on Family Island.

There was something else troubling her as she prepared to go to Family Island like a niggling doubt in the back of her mind that made her hesitate now…

 _Do they really want to meet me_? She thought to herself dismally as she wiped away another tear that had rolled down her cheek stealthily without her being consciously aware that she was sobbing.

 _What if I'm not what they expected? What if they are disappointed by what they see?_

Sadness let out a heartbreaking moan and wept, "Ohhh…I don't know if I can do this! I don't want them to be ashamed of me…"

Her overbearing display of melancholy attracted Joy's attention, who was loitering at the console and staring at the monitor eagerly as she waited for the Tarzan movie to start. Joy loved watching Tarzan just as much as Riley-it was such an innocent and fun family movie and she was ready to help Riley laugh and have a great time by taking charge of the console.

Now she turned to face Sadness and some of her previous excitement turned to despair as she saw her little blue friend crying her heart out on what was supposed to be the happiest night of her life!

Joy walked up to Sadness and gently rubbed her back as she crooned, "Oh Sadness…why are you crying? You've been looking forward to this night for weeks remember? I thought you were excited to finally meet your parents!"

Sadness looked up at the yellow Emotion with her big, teary eyes and sniffled in a small voice, "I…I was. But now I'm not so sure about this…what if they don't like me Joy?"

Joy leaned down and gave the blue Emotion a friendly hug. Then she encouraged in a kind, soothing tone, "Don't think like that Sadness…how can anyone not love you?! I bet your parents are just as sweet and caring as you are and they will be so proud of you when they see you!"

Sadness leaned into her friend's warm embrace gratefully and whispered in a shaky uncertain voice, "You really think so…Joy?"

Joy nodded confidently and gently drew away from their embrace as she studied her blue companion's face with empathy before adding, "Yes! I'm positive! Everything will go fine and you'll have the best night of your entire life! I just know it!"

Sadness gave a tiny smile of appreciation and nodded slowly. "Yeah…you're probably right. Thanks Joy!"

Joy gave her a warm smile in return and with burgeoning excitement, she stated, "That's the spirit! Now go out there and enjoy yourself!"

The yellow Emotion shot a quick glance at Anger who had just entered the main room after getting himself a snack from the kitchen and she added helpfully, "Besides…remember how pumped Anger was after he returned from his family reunion?"

At this statement, Anger's eyes grew wide as the events of that night flashed through his mind like a disturbing dream and he gave a disgruntled snort as he approached the other two Emotions.

He looked at Sadness with pity and through a forced smile he said, "Don't worry, you'll be fine Kid."

Then he leaned in close to the blue Emotion and cupped his hand over her ear so that Joy wouldn't hear him as he warned solemnly, "Just a small word of warning…it turns out we all have secret names! So be prepared for some disappointment when they tell you what your name is!"

Sadness' eyes widened with surprise and she had to stop herself from crying out in amazement as she whispered back, "Really?! Well what's your name then Anger?"

Anger groaned dejectedly and hissed through clenched teeth, "Never mind!"

Then he raised his voice back to its usual booming volume and began pushing Sadness in the direction of the Recall Tube as he encouraged in false cheerfulness, "You just run along now and enjoy meeting your folks Kid!"

XXX

Meanwhile on Family Island…

Momma and Papa Sadness were heading for a _low-speed_ collision course! The two Emotions were so wrapped up in their own thoughts and daydreams that they failed to notice one another until they were literally on top of each other!

As Mother Sadness slowly shambled along from the left, she fiddled absently with the carry bag she brought with her. Inside that bag was the present she had made for her daughter and now that she had actually arrived here on Riley's Family Island, the Mother Emotion's thoughts were filled with anticipation.

 _What is she like? Does she remember me? Will she like her gift? What is my husband like? Does he remember me or our little girl…?_

Needless to say, Momma Sadness was not paying attention to where she was going…and apparently, neither was Papa Sadness!

The Father Emotion shuffled along nervously from the right, his eyes fixed on the ground as he tried to imagine what his wife and child would be like.

 _Please let it be a girl…I really hope I have a daughter…Hang on…I seem to remember a name for some reason…could it be the name of my wife?! What's my name then?!_

Suddenly the two parent Emotions walked headfirst into each other as they neared the center of the Island. Thankfully there was no harm done to either of them as both happened to be rather plump and soft and they ended up bouncing harmlessly off each other.

Both Emotions looked at each other with a mixture of surprise and relief and after the initial shock of bumping into each other wore off, a wave of recognition overcame them as a flood of memories were pushed to the surface of their minds as if by magic.

Papa Sadness studied his wife fondly as her secret name was revealed in his mind. A small smile of admiration appeared on his face as he offered jokingly, "My, my _Sophie_! You scared the tears right out of me!"

Momma Sadness ( **Sophie** ) laughed lightly and replied with equal enthusiasm, "Same here _Seb_!"

With that, the two Emotions collapsed into each other's arms and started bawling their eyes out. However these were tears of happiness, not misery as they relished being in each other's company again after twelve years apart.

Papa Sadness ( **Seb** ) buried his face in his wife's shoulder and through muffled sobs he told her, "I missed you so much Sophie! It's been so long…"

Sophie nodded and squeezed him tightly as she croaked through her tears, "I know…it has Seb! We've been apart for so long…I always wished that we could grow old together!"

This brought on another wave of bawling and it took several minutes before the two Emotions managed to compose themselves and look into each other's' eyes.

Wiping away a last stray tear, Seb held his wife at arm's length and admired her fully for the first time since they met tonight.

Despite his timid nature, the Father Emotion put on a show of charm as he breathed, "You still look so beautiful Sophie! In fact you didn't age a day since I last saw you!"

Momma Sadness chortled and pushed him away playfully as she felt another batch of tears threatening to flow forth from her tear ducts, "Oh yes I have, you old flatterer! I have a mirror you know…"

She fought back a loud sob as Seb gave a gloomy sigh and stated half-jokingly, "I hope our child gets here soon…or else we might drown ourselves in our own tears!"

At this, Sophie's eyes lit up with excitement and her voice was filled with pride as she told her husband, "Oh Seb! You are finally going to meet our little girl!"

Seb got a dreamy expression on his round blue face as Sophie's announcement echoed around inside his head. The Father Emotion felt like his heart would burst from happiness, that's how thrilled he was after hearing this news!

He fist pumped the air and let out a squeal of delight that made Sophie flinch from surprise. He was considered the most quiet and reserved of Bill's Emotions and seeing him react like this would have made anyone stop and do a double-take!

Realizing his stunning display of exuberance had startled his wife, Seb quickly toned down his excitement and gave Sophie a look of apology as he explained, "I'm sorry my dear! It's just that I knew I was right all along! As soon as I found out that we have children, I have believed without a doubt that I have a daughter!"

He looked down at the ground shyly and mumbled, "After our Boss; Anger came back from his family reunion, I begged him to tell me if I was right…if what I have believed in my heart was really true. But he seemed to be in an even fouler mood than usual when he returned…"

The Father Emotion touched his chin thoughtfully as he recalled, "He wouldn't listen to me or any of the other men. It's like he was lost in his own world or something…"

Seb shrugged dismissively as Sophie smiled and held up the bag she had with her excitedly.

"Look Seb. What do you think of this sweater that I knitted for our little girl?" Sophie opened the bag and pulled out a cozy white sweater (that just happened to be identical to the one Sadness wore all the time!), and showed it to him proudly.

"I hope she likes it and that it fits her! Fear's Mother described her so well to me after she met all the children during her last visit here, that I could almost see our daughter in front of my eyes as I knitted it!"

Seb took the little sweater in his hands and nodded approvingly. "I'm sure she'll love it! It's gorgeous Sophie…"

Suddenly both Emotions heard the unmistakable sound of soft sniffling, followed by a loud "Wahhhh!" coming from somewhere nearby.

Sophie quickly stuffed the knitted sweater back into her bag and looked around eagerly. "Did you hear that Seb?"

The Father Emotion nodded with equal excitement as a warm feeling of love filled his chest.

"Is that her?" He asked with undisguised delight in his voice.

Sophie smiled proudly and turning in the direction of the sniffling noises, she called out softly, "Stella! Stella darling! Where are you little one? Come out and let us see you!"

Papa Sadness' breath caught in his throat and he ended up grinning so broadly, that it would have given Joy's Dad a run for his money at the mention of that name!

With his heart pounding so hard that he felt as if it might burst and his cheeks aching from the monster of a smile on his face, he looked at Sophie with adoration and exclaimed, "Thank you so much Sophie my love! You just made me the happiest Emotion in the collective minds of Riley and her parents! You remembered how much I love that name: _Stella_ , and you decided to name our daughter that! You really are the greatest!"

Sophie smiled kindly and offered, "Oh Seb! You know I love that name too and I made a promise that if we ever had a little girl I would name her Stella!"

They were interrupted by another loud wail coming from a row of flowery shrubs nearby, and simultaneously, the two parent Emotions made a dash for that spot as fast as their stubby little legs could carry them!

As soon as they reached those bushes, Seb slowly parted the greenery with trembling hands and revealed Sadness sitting there on the ground, sniffling and wiping away her tears. Both parents stared at their daughter with expressions of rejoice on their faces as Sadness looked up at them with her big blue eyes, which sparkled like stars reflected in a lake due to her tears.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she asked timidly as her parents burst into tears of happiness.

Sophie reached down and embraced her daughter lovingly as she whispered, "Oh my gorgeous little Stella! I've missed you so much!"

Sadness ( **Stella** ) returned her mother's embrace happily and answered, "I missed you too! Even though I've never met you!"

As soon as mother and daughter finished having their little cuddle, Papa Sadness stepped forward and declared proudly, "My beautiful little angel! You have no idea how much we've both missed you!"

With that Seb scooped up Sadness fondly into his arms and squeezed her tightly in his loving embrace.

Sadness gave a muffled "umph" and wheezed in her typical melancholy tone, "Please put me down Daddy! I can't breathe…"

Sophie shook her head light-heartedly and concurred, "Yeah…put her down Seb! She's not a baby anymore!"

Seb complied and gently eased his daughter onto her feet with a sheepish smile on his face as he replied, "Sorry angel! I'm just so happy to finally meet you!"

Sadness smiled back shyly and responded softly, "That's okay Daddy. I'm really happy to see you too!"

Sophie noticed the drying tears that had left long wet streaks down her daughter's face and, pulling out a handkerchief from her sleeve, she tenderly started to wipe her face dry.

"There we go sweetie." The Mother Emotion crooned gently as she wiped away the tears.

"Let me dry those up for you…"

Within no time, the handkerchief was soaked through from the sheer volume of Sadness' tears, and Sophie looked at the piece of cloth in despair.

"I knew I should have brought some more handkerchiefs with me! How could I have forgotten?" she chided herself as she gave Sadness an apologetic look.

Sadness gave her mother a faint smile and held up her arm as she reassured, "Its okay Mommy. I brought plenty of spares with me…"

To demonstrate her point, Sadness reached under the sleeve of her sweater and started pulling out a never-ending string of handkerchiefs knotted together by the ends!

Seb gently touched her other arm and breathed in an astonished voice, "Whoa there kid! You're like a little magician there!"

Sadness blushed and whispered, "Sorry!" before stuffing her impressive chain of hankies back up her sleeve.

She looked shyly from her mom to her dad and back again before asking in a curious tone, "Did you say that my name is Stella?"

Sophie nodded proudly and placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder as she explained, "Yes it is sweetie. You see both your father and I always liked that name. It means ' _Star_ ' and I think it's very fitting for you because as soon as you were born and I looked into your big, beautiful blue eyes, I was reminded of stars being reflected off water."

The Mother Emotion smiled broadly and crooned, "You have always been our Little Star!"

Sadness nodded in acceptance. "That's cool…I like it!"

Then she looked at her mother warmly and commented, "You have a nice name too Mommy; Sophie…"

Seb got a glint of pride in his eyes as he explained, "I'm glad you think so angel! You see, that name originally comes from ' _Sophia_ ', which means _Wisdom_."

The Father Emotion looked his wife in the eyes and stated with admiration, "Your mother was always the brains in the family!"

Sophie gave him a sly smirk and remarked teasingly, "Well it's not in my nature to brag, but maybe that's the reason why I'm the Lead Emotion in Jill's mind!"

Seb chuckled in agreement and affirmed with simple directness, "Those lady Emotions inside Jill's head made a very sensible decision! They couldn't have picked a better leader!"

Sadness glanced up at her father and asked hesitantly, "You've got a pretty funny-sounding name Daddy. ' _Seb_ '…was that supposed to be _Sob_ or something…?"

Sophie snorted in amusement and gave Sadness a gentle squeeze on the shoulder as she informed, "Not at all sweetie! The story behind how I gave your father his name is pretty unusual and funny…"

Sadness looked at her mother questioningly as Sophie gave her a knowing wink and went on excitedly, "Believe it or not, your father has always adored "The Little Mermaid!"

Seb stood up straighter and announced matter-of-factly, "And what's not to like?! The girl is gorgeous, has a good heart and lives underwater in the salty sea!"

He fixed his wife a look filled with mock-offense as he added casually, "And what do we Sadness Emotions do best? We cry salty tears of course!"

Sophie nodded and shrugged dismissively as she continued, "Anyway. From what I recall of the movie, The Little Mermaid had this funny crab friend that followed her around and sang this song called _'Under the Sea'_ with a heavy Caribbean accent? I believe the crab's name was Sebastien…"

She shot Seb a teasing smile and stated, "Well your father liked that song so much, that he used to try and imitate Sebastien the Crab and sing that song every time we got together! So simply put, that's why I decided to call him **_Sebastien_** …although I usually just shorten it to Seb!"

Sebastien clapped his hands in appreciation and exclaimed, "Very nicely explained my dear Sophie!"

Then he smiled fondly at Sadness and took her hands in his as he began to spin her around playfully whilst singing " _Under the Sea_ " in his best Sebastien the Crab voice.

Sadness let out a gasp of surprise which turned into a giggle of pleasure as her father twirled her round and round while he continued singing his heart out. After a few minutes, he stopped and wrapped his arms around her lovingly as she began crying softly into his chest.

"Oh…I wish we could stay together like this all the time!" Sadness sobbed in despair as her mother joined in their embrace and the three Emotions enjoyed a family cuddle.

Sophie gave her a tender kiss on the cheek as she replied through her own tears, "I know sweetie. But we all have to return to our hosts' minds eventually. Riley's parents need to have their Sadness Emotions around just as much as Riley does..."

The Mother Emotion looked at her husband and daughter with pure love in her eyes and she knew that they all understood the importance of their roles to their hosts just as much as she did.

"But this doesn't have to be the last time we see each other!" Sophie reassured them with sincerity.

"Now that we are aware of each other's existences, we can arrange to meet up here again at least on occasion!"

She smiled serenely and added, "And of course we'll always have the memory of tonight's reunion to cherish in our hearts forever!"

Seb nodded in consent and gazed into his daughter's tear-filled eyes; which at the moment _did_ resemble little pools reflecting starlight, and he traced a finger down her cheek fondly as he offered, "Remember angel that whenever we cry, our tears must go somewhere…maybe they all converge and create a little puddle in the collective minds of Riley and her parents? If they do, then you can try and image your dad; Sebastien singing for you!"

"Oh Daddy…!" Sadness wailed and hugged both her parents tightly as she launched into a fresh crying fit.

The three Emotions stayed like this for a long time, spontaneously crying and comforting each other as their reunion drew to a close.

Eventually, Sophie pulled away from her family gently and announced in a slightly amused tone, "My little Stella! I'd almost forgotten to give you the gift I made for you!"

"Really? What is it?" Sadness asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Sophie glanced at her daughter's clothes and looked away bashfully as she offered, "Oh sweetie! I'm almost too embarrassed to give it to you now! But since I brought it here I might as well show you…I'll understand if you decide not to take it…"

Hesitantly, the Mother Emotion reached into her carry bag and pulled out the knitted white sweater that matched the one Sadness was currently wearing to the last stitch!

Sophie gave her an apologetic smile and said, "I'm so sorry darling! I wanted to knit something nice for you to remember me by…it's just that Fear's Mother described you so accurately and I had such a vivid image of you in my mind, that I ended up knitting a sweater that's identical to the one you have on now!"

Sadness' eyes twinkled with appreciation and she took the new sweater from her mother's hands without hesitation.

"Oh Mommy! It's beautiful! I love it!" she exclaimed with honest gratitude. "Thank you so much for making it for me!"

Sophie couldn't help giving an audible sigh of relief as she breathed, "Oh sweetie. You really do?"

Sadness gave her a tiny smile and fought back a loud sob as she replied, "Of course! I don't mind that it looks the same as this one…"

She plucked at her old sweater and commented, "This one is too old and dirty anywaayy…"

She trailed off into a wail as, unable to contain her sorrow any longer, she broke down and wept for what was probably the hundredth time tonight.

Seb and Sophie embraced her once more and joined in on her bawling with equal enthusiasm.

"Sweetie, I don't think you'll be needing a shower when you get back to Headquarters!" Seb remarked in between sniffles and sobs.

"Your mother and I have already washed you with our tears! You're soaking wet!"

Sadness drew a deep breath and replied in a weepy voice, "That's okay Daddy. I won't wash for a long time…I want to taste the tears of my parents as long as possible!"

After a few moments, Seb managed to pull himself together and he stated with attempted humor, "Oh my beautiful girls! I love you both so much, but we really should be heading back to our respective hosts' minds before we drown ourselves in our sorrow!"

His wife and daughter nodded in understanding and prepared to go their separate ways. But before leaving, Seb announced casually, "Oh one more thing! Could you both please inform the members of the Disgust Family that it's their turn to reunite next Friday? Private Green has been driving everyone crazy back in Bill's Headquarters with his impatience to meet his son!"

Sadness looked at her father with a startled expression and stifled a little laugh of amusement upon hearing his announcement.

 _Disgust's father thought he had a son?! Oh dear…he is in for one nasty shock then!_

But she kept her thoughts to herself and replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Sure Daddy. I promise to let Disgust Jr know…"

With that, all three Emotions began walking in separate directions, each one of them leaving behind small puddles of tears that sparkled as if reflecting little stars…


	11. Beauty Never Lies - Disgust Family

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hello again all you wonderful readers! Are you ready to meet another one of our Emotional families? After all that sweetness and adorableness from the Sadness Family last time, things are about to get sassy and full of class with our next reunion…that's right! Get ready to meet the Disgust Family!**

 **And as you can guess from the previous two family reunions, Disgust and her parents have secret names too! (Once again I tried to choose names that seemed appropriate for each individual Emotion, so hopefully you'll all enjoy the names I managed to come up with for our posh little fashionista and her folks.)**

 **And one more thing…I'm sure many of you have picked up on the fact that each Emotion's name begins with their first letter (Anger's family all had names beginning with "** **A** _ **"**_ **whereas Sadness and her parents' names all started with the letter "** **S** _ **"**_ **)**

 **You all know what that means? Disgust and her parents will have names beginning with the letter "** **D** _ **"**_ **then… :)**

 **Okay that's enough said for now! Thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story so far and I hope you all decide to stick around and read on about how Disgust's family gathering turned out!**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

Chapter 11.

It was Friday once again and Bill Andersen was driving home from work when he remembered that Jill had asked him to stop at the bakery along the way to get some bread rolls for dinner. So Bill drove up to the best local bakery in their neighborhood and parked the car right outside a butchers shop across the street.

As he got out of the car and passed the window of the butchers, he glanced inside and a sign stating that Old English Sausages were now half-price, caught his eye.

" _Hmmm…we haven't had some Bangers and Mash in a while_." Bill mused thoughtfully as he took out his wallet and checked if he had enough cash on him to buy the bread rolls and some of those sausages on the side.

"Oh what the heck! They're half-price! I say if you come across a good bargain you should take it!" He told himself decisively as he pushed open the door to the butchers and stepped inside.

XXX

When he arrived home, Bill saw an excellent opportunity to turn tonight's dinner time into some good old-fashioned family fun!

 _Well since we'll be having Bangers and Mash for dinner, why don't we throw a little fancy dress party into the mix and have some fun?!_ He thought as he walked through the front door with his shopping bags.

In the kitchen, Jill was just about to start preparing dinner when Bill walked in with an excited smile spread across his face as he held up his bags proudly.

"Hey look what I got us for dinner Jilly!" he announced happily as he handed her the bag containing the Old English Sausages.

Jill raised her eyebrow questioningly at him as she pulled out the packet of sausages. "Seriously Bill? I ask you to get some bread rolls and you come back with these?"

Bill's smile wavered slightly at her unimpressed reaction, but he managed to hide his disappointment as he stated, "But Honey! They were only half-price! How could you expect me to let a bargain like that slip away?"

Jill rolled her eyes and sighed with exasperation. "But what am I supposed to do with these? This is not what I planned for dinner tonight!"

"Well I have an even better suggestion!" Bill declared excitedly as his wife shot him a confused look.

"I hate to ask, but what exactly do you have in mind dear?"

Bill grinned mischievously and responded, "You'll see! It's a surprise! In the meantime, can you make some mashed potatoes and fry those sausages up? Riley can help you!"

"Riley! Come and help your mother with dinner!" Bill called instructively as Jill studied him with deepening confusion.

Riley shuffled into the kitchen reluctantly and moaned, "Dad! Do I have to?"

"Yes!" Her father demanded adamantly.

Then he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, his voice full of excitement as he whispered, "I have some fun planned for us tonight and I think you're going to love it!"

He patted her arm affectionately and without waiting for a reply, he turned to Jill and said, "While you girls are preparing the food, I'll quickly dash upstairs and change out my work clothes into something more comfortable…"

With that he turned and headed out the kitchen, leaving Jill and Riley looking at each other in confusion as he called over his shoulder, "See you shortly!"

A few minutes later, Bill returned to the kitchen wearing some torn jeans, a John Lennon t-shirt (complete with a pair of Lennon style spectacle frames on his nose!) and a hippie bandana on his head.

Jill gasped as she turned around from her cooking and saw her husband standing in the doorway in his 1960's attire, looking rather pleased with himself as he gave her the peace sign with his fingers.

"Eh you like it?" Bill asked proudly as he paraded around the kitchen like a peacock.

Jill smiled and shook her head teasingly. "Well, well handsome! Aren't you full of surprises tonight?!"

Riley stared at her father in barely disguised amusement. "Uh dad? You look like you stepped out of the movie _Hairspray!"_

"Yeah, more like from _Hair_..."Jill muttered to her husband with a knowing wink.

Bill gave her an elated smile and chortled, "That's my clever girl! You guessed the theme for our dress-up! Tonight we are taking a trip back to the 60's!"

He spread his arms proudly. "And now my lovely ladies, it's your turn! Go ahead and show me what you've got!"

Riley glanced at her mother uncertainly, but Jill was already nodding in agreement as she shot her husband a challenging look.

"Wait just a sec dear! We'll be right back."

With that Jill smiled at Riley and took her by the arm as she headed for the stairs. "Come with me Riley! I'll help you with your outfit."

A short time later, mother and daughter entered the kitchen wearing matching green miniskirt dresses with cork wedge shoes. Their hair was combed in a 60's bob style with bobby pins and headbands.

Bill whistled in admiration. "Wow girls! You both look amazing!"

Riley and Jill exchanged knowing looks and the family sat down for dinner, listening to the soundtrack of some classic Beatles tunes like _"Sergeant Pepper", "Yesterday" and "Let It Be…"_

XXX

Inside Riley's Headquarters, Disgust was up in her room busily preparing herself to meet her mom and dad on Family Island tonight. Now Disgust was infamous for taking her time when it came to applying her makeup and choosing outfits for special occasions…and since she had never met her parents before tonight, this definitely counted as a special occasion!

If there was ever an excuse for her to spend hours engaging in her favorite past-time (namely preening and beautifying herself) than tonight was it! Disgust wanted to make sure that when her parents saw her, she would leave a lasting impression in their minds for all the right reasons!

So it was that the green Emotion found herself in front of her full-length mirror, deliberating about whether she should wear her trendy pink scarf with her favorite green dress, or the sparkly blue one embroidered with gold sequins.

Disgust sighed as she held up the blue scarf against her neck and studied herself in the mirror. "No. This won't do! It's too glitzy for this dress! A scarf should be an accessory and not draw attention away from this stunning dress…"

She tossed it aside with distaste, and tried the pink one instead, only to discover that she didn't like the way it contrasted with her hair.

Disgust let out a frustrated growl.

Suddenly her eyes fell on a lilac-colored scarf at the bottom of her closet and she bent down and picked it up eagerly. Compared to the other two, this scarf was relatively simple in design and the fabric was so fine that it was almost see-through, but Disgust's eyes glittered with excitement as she held it against her neck and admired her reflection in the mirror.

"Yes! I think this one is perfect!" She exclaimed happily as she draped it over her shoulders and decided that it worked the best with her chosen outfit.

"Simple, yet classy! That's settled then! This one it is!"

Next she turned her attention to her makeup kit and started re-applying her eye shadow and lip gloss for possibly the 10th time tonight…but hey! Beauty is like art, it can't be rushed!

Finally about 4 hours later, Disgust strolled into the main room looking as gorgeous as ever and putting some final touches with her portable makeup mirror in hand, she announced chirpily, "Well how do I look everyone?!"

Her question was met with silence, and annoyed that no one was complimenting her on her pain-staking effort, Disgust glanced up from her mirror with a frown scrawled across her pretty face.

"Hello?! Anyone care that I'm about to meet my parents and that I need to look extra-gorgeous tonight?!"

The only answer she received was a loud snore coming from the direction of the console. Pouting in irritation, Disgust walked over to the couch and discovered that Anger was the only one in the room right now, and he was sprawled out on the sofa, his arm draped over his belly as he snored up a storm.

Apparently, all the other Emotions had gone to bed some time ago and as Disgust glanced up at the monitor, she saw that Riley too had turned-in for the night and was currently dreaming that she was in the movie _Hairspray_ for some reason.

The green Emotion crossed her arms and huffed to herself petulantly, "Huh! How typical! It turns out that I'm surrounded by a bunch of babies and seniors! I spent all that time making myself look amazing and there's no one around to appreciate my Grand Entrance!"

Finally she waved dismissively and stated with confidence, "Whatever! I don't need their approval! Beauty never lies, and I know that I am beautiful!"

With that, she flicked a strand of hair out of her face and sauntered towards the Recall Tube, full of pride in her appearance.

XXX

On Family Island, Papa Disgust was pacing back and forth impatiently with a tray of food in his hands. He grumbled something under his breath about punctuality and how his wife and child apparently didn't grasp the concept and let out a sigh of exasperation.

"This is unacceptable!" The Father Emotion complained bitterly, his usually deep and handsome voice taking on a decidedly unattractive whining note.

He paused momentarily to admire his amazing culinary creation with pride, taking a deep sniff of the carefully wrapped tray in his hands.

"Mm-umm!"

Then his green eyes flashed with irritation as he protested, "I spend so much time preparing this delicious food and this is the appreciation I get! The least my family could do is show up on time! Is that really too much to ask?!"

Suddenly he heard an unamused snort coming from behind him. Followed by a sarcastic remark, "Well, well…I see that some things never change! Still complaining as much as ever aren't you Donald?"

The Father Emotion whirled around and saw his beautiful wife walking towards him with all the grace of a model on a catwalk. She was wearing her stunning purple dress (the same one he remembered her wearing when they first met! Wait a minute…he remembered that dress after all these years?! It appears that Family Island is working its magic once again…)

He noticed that her long brown hair was flowing loosely down her elegant shoulders and she was clutching a stylish black handbag in her hands. As she drew nearer, she locked gazes with him and he found himself captivated by those gorgeous emerald-colored eyes as if he were under a spell.

 _It's incredible!_ He thought to himself in awestruck wonder. _She hasn't changed a bit after all this time!_

She finally reached him, shooting him a sly look and a teasing smile.

"You're just as beautiful as I remember…" he breathed in admiration.

Then he shook his head and looked around expectantly. "But where's Junior?"

Suddenly they were interrupted by an ear-slitting shriek of outrage as Disgust walked onto the scene, her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed (specifically at her father) with indignation as she made her feelings known.

"A JUNIOR?" Do you have any idea how many hours I spent making myself look pretty tonight just for you two?! Do I look like a boy to you!?"

Papa Disgust ( **Donald** ) nearly dropped the tray containing his culinary masterpiece from shock at the sight and explosiveness of the young _female_ Emotion standing before him!

"A GIRL?!" he uttered dumbly as he fumbled with his tray.

Disgust pouted and her frown deepened as she sniped, "Well DUH! Obviously! I can't believe you actually thought I was a _boy_! I mean come on! Really?!"

Donald looked down in shame and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he muttered, "Ah sorry Sweetheart! I didn't mean to offend you!"

Then he glanced up at his daughter with an expression of love in his eyes. "Come here and give your foolish old man a kiss!"

Despite her indignity, Disgust felt a smile of appreciation tug at her lips as she went up to her mother and father and "air kissed" each one in turn.

Donald studied his daughter with admiration as he took her by the arms and gazed into her dazzling emerald-colored eyes, which shone even more vibrantly than her mother's.

"You are just as beautiful as your mother my girl! I am so proud to call you my daughter!"

Disgust blushed under her father's gaze and smiled sweetly.

"Thanks dad." She replied quietly as he embraced her fondly.

After a few seconds, Disgust slowly pulled away from his hug and looked at her dad in bemusement.

"Hey what was that I heard mom call you before? _Donald?_ "

She suppressed a smirk as he nodded in confirmation. "Is that really your name? As in _Donald Duck!?"_

Disgust shot her mother a wry look and quipped, "Let me guess…is mom's name _Daisy_ by any chance? And what does that make me then? _Huey, Dewey or Louie?!"_

"Oh no darling!" The Mother Emotion reassured dismissively as she gave her daughter a confident smile.

"You see, your father and I chose our own names…"

Her eyes flashed with pride as she added smugly, "Of course I picked out yours! Actually yours and mine are more like _titles_ than true names, but I think you'll agree that my choices were very befitting for Emotions of our standards!"

Disgust listened with increasingly mounting anticipation as her mother paused and seemed to taunt her with the suspense.

"Well go on already!" Disgust urged her impatiently. "Are you going to tell me what my name is or not?"

Her mother laughed off her brash demand and continued with an air of importance, "Patience my child! I will tell you soon enough…but first I should point out what led me to my final decision!"

Taking a deep breath Momma Disgust explained pompously, "Don't forget that we Disgust Emotions are like fine pieces of art! Therefore we deserve appropriate names befitting our status!"

She looked at Disgust apologetically and shrugged. "You see, I was originally going to name you _Diva_ , but then I decided that name would sound perfect for myself! I was really torn about what to do…and then I remembered that old adage: What came first? The chicken or the egg?"

Disgust gave her mother a distasteful scowl. But the Mother Emotion just shrugged innocently before continuing in an undaunted manner, "So that's why I decided to call myself Diva instead! Well actually it's _Divine_ …but I choose to shorten it to _Diva_."

Momma Disgust ( **Diva** ) shot a look of disapproval at Donald, who was looking rather bored as he listened to his wife's vain gloating. She narrowed her eyes challengingly at him and prompted, "And I strongly urged your father to call himself _Duke_ but no! He said there was only one Duke and that was John Wayne…"

She crossed her arms over her chest, teasing dryly, "Apparently he didn't want to be associated with his strong macho cowboy image!"

Donald looked up with a hint of irritation on his green face and retorted, "Well since I like to look good, smell nice and keep my hands soft, I just couldn't see myself as _Duke_ …"

He gave his wife and daughter a pleased smile. "So one night I was flicking through a book of names and I was focusing specifically on names beginning with **D** …you know as in **D** for _**Disgust**_ …"

He chuckled loftily and declared, "And that's when I saw the name _Donald_ , which means _'Ruler of All'_ and I liked the sound of it instantly!"

Diva rolled her eyes at her husband's bragging in an unimpressed fashion and smiled sweetly at Disgust as she noticed that her scarf was coming untied. She leaned forward and started fixing it for her helpfully as she announced proudly, "And you my gorgeous little girl, I decided to name _Duchess!"_

Disgust's brow furrowed in contemplation as she mumbled the name _"Duchess"_ quietly to herself a few times. Finally she decided that she liked the sound of that name, and she smiled and gave her mother a nod of approval.

"Mmm…I suppose that works. And if I ever find the right Emotion for me, I will make sure that he calls himself Duke! Then we could be the Duke and Duchess of California!"

Diva smiled at her daughter fondly. "That has quite a ring to it…I like it my little Duchess! I see you've inherited my wits as well as my beauty!"

"Gee thanks mom…" Disgust ( **Duchess** ) replied as her mother gave her a loving hug.

After a few moments, Donald cleared his throat gently to get everyone's attention and held up the tray of mystery food proudly.

"Listen up my gorgeous girls! I think that it's time we all get stuck into this mouth-watering dish that I've prepared especially for the two of you before it gets any colder!"

Diva regarded her husband with admiration as he retrieved a picnic basket from behind a nearby tree and spread a blanket out on the ground in front of them.

"Oh Donald! So that's your big surprise!" she exclaimed excitedly while he laid out some plates and cutlery from his basket.

Disgust realized just how hungry she really was as the smell of her father's special home-cooked meal drifted towards her and she sniffed the air eagerly.

"Mmmm…that smells good dad! What is it?" she asked as her mouth began watering involuntarily.

"Ah wait and see my Princess!" The Father Emotion said with elation, giving Disgust a pleased smile.

Diva gave her daughter a friendly nudge on the arm with her elbow and whispered, "Your father always was a fine cook! I'll bet he made something really special for us!"

"Okay, everything is ready! Come and get it girls!" Donald called happily as he uncovered his tray and revealed a steaming casserole-type dish which he started dividing into perfect sized portions for the three of them.

Diva and Duchess both sat down on the blanket and eagerly accepted their plates as the Father Emotion handed them out their portions. Then all three Emotions started eating their first meal together as a family.

After a few satisfying mouthfuls, Diva looked at her husband with approval and praised, "Wow Donald! You've still got the touch! This is delicious!"

"Thanks! I'm glad you like it my dear! This is my signature dish…my masterpiece of fine dining if you will!" he stated with pride swelling inside his chest.

Disgust took another bite of her dinner and gulped it down with gusto. Her green eyes flashed with respect as she looked at her dad and admitted, "Not bad at all dad! What's in it anyway?"

Donald let out a modest laugh and replied casually, "Oh it's nothing special…"

He started listing off ingredients while Disgust and her mother continued eating enthusiastically.

"…it's just got some shell pasta, lean chicken, celery, capsicum, finely-chopped pistachios, pureed broccoli and…wait for it…Donald's special cheese sauce!"

Disgust's eyes went wide with horror and she stopped chewing suddenly, her mouth still half-full as she stared at her father with a mortified expression.

Donald stared back at his daughter with confusion and Diva turned to look at her with concern etched across her pretty face.

"Sweetie are you okay? What happened?" the Mother Emotion asked gently as she placed a comforting hand on Disgust's shoulder.

Then without warning, Disgust started spontaneously coughing, gagging and spitting out the remaining food from her mouth!

"Bro…broc… **WHAT?!"** She screeched in-between bouts of coughing and violent retching.

Her shocked parents exchanged nervous glances with each other, neither one sure about what to do.

"Ah Sweetheart? What's wrong?" Donald offered meekly as Disgust fixed him with a stare of absolute loathing.

Her startling green eyes flashed dangerously as she spoke with a deliberate (almost demonic-sounding) voice, **"** **I HATE BROCCOLI!"**

Diva gasped in shock as her hand flew up to her mouth in disbelief.

"Duchess…!" she uttered in a shrill astounded voice.

Donald actually recoiled from the harshness of her tone and shuffled backwards desperately as he tried to get away from this vengeful creature that appeared to be directing the full-force of her fury at _him_!

Then just as suddenly as Disgust seemed to become possessed by the broccoli-hating demon, her facial expression returned to one of undisputed repulsion as she resumed spitting and gagging.

"I'm going to need my stomach pumped and a colonoscopy! I don't know if I'm going to survive this!"

She looked at her father with betrayal in her eyes and pointed a finger at him as she accused bitterly, "You tried to poison me!"

"Bu…but Princess!" Donald stuttered desperately, his eyes full of pleading.

"Broccoli is good for you!"

" **HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR ME?!"** Disgust wailed inconsolably as she felt a familiar nauseating sensation stirring in her stomach and making its way up her esophagus.

"You've just met me for the first time…!" with that Disgust clutched her belly and leaning to one side, proceeded to barf up all of Donald's culinary masterpiece that she had consumed up to this point.

Donald's shoulders slumped dejectedly as he watched his distraught daughter retching and heaving violently as she tried desperately to cleanse her system of every last shred of that repulsive green vegetable.

Suddenly he felt a soft tap on his shoulder and turning around, he saw Diva reach into her handbag and offer him a handful of assorted chocolates and candies. His mouth twitched with revulsion as the Mother Emotion shoved the colorful sweets into his hand and looked imploringly into his eyes. Then she nodded towards Disgust and back to her husband and Donald understood what she wanted him to do.

Disgust was hugging her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth slowly. Her eyes had a blank look of shock as she tried to recover from the traumatic ordeal of being tricked into eating broccoli.

Suddenly her father's outstretched hand was thrust into her field of vision as he offered her the candy hesitantly.

"I'm sorry my little Princess…I didn't mean to make you sick. I just had no idea that you have such a strong aversion to broccoli!" Donald apologized sincerely.

Disgust looked up at him slowly and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"How would you like some of these… _things_ …then?" His voice sounded strained like the thought of eating candy made him want to barf, but he kept it together for her sake.

Disgust looked at the yummy treats in his hand and her eyes lit up with gratitude as she accepted the candy eagerly.

"Now that's more like it! I need to get this vile taste out of my mouth!" she exclaimed, unwrapping one of the sweets and popping it into her mouth.

She smiled back at her father forgivingly. "Thanks dad."

As Disgust was savoring the candy, Diva stepped forward and took out a facial wipe from her purse. Then she gently started cleaning and fixing her daughter's makeup as she crooned fondly, "There, there sweetie…you're all good now!"

She placed her hands on Disgust's arms and admired her daughter with a loving look on her face, her emerald eyes sparkling with adoration.

"You really are the most beautiful Emotion I ever laid eyes on! I am so proud of what you have become my little Duchess!"

Disgust felt a glow of appreciation in her heart as she returned her mother's compliment with equal fondness. "Aww…thanks! You're really pretty too Momma."

Donald looked at her soberly, his eyes still full of guilt. "Once again I'm so sorry Duchess! I didn't know…"

"Would you let your foolish old man give you a hug?" he asked while tickling Disgust under the chin playfully.

Disgust narrowed her eyes at her father teasingly, but nodded her consent. "Of course! All is forgiven!"

Donald chuckled in delight and scooped her up in a tight hug, spinning her around exuberantly as Disgust gave a little grunt of protest.

"Oh I love you Sweetheart!" he declared as he stopped spinning and held her fondly.

"When I return to Bill's mind, I'm going to tell the others that I have the prettiest daughter in the whole Mind World!"

"Aww dad…" Disgust wheezed as she hugged him back with equal zeal.

Then she pulled away gently and gave him a critical look. "But if we ever meet up again, can you promise not to cook please?!"

Donald stroked her hair reassuringly and vowed, "Of course! I promise my little Princess!"

With one arm still wrapped around Disgust, Donald turned to his wife and touched her cheek fondly. "It was so good to see you again my darling!"

"Yes Donald, it's been wonderful!" Diva agreed happily.

A sly smile spread across her face and she grabbed hold of his hand and pressed it against her cheek affectionately.

"And by the way, you still do have soft hands!" she admitted in honesty.

Donald grinned in satisfaction and drew her into a family group hug.

After a few precious minutes, Diva sighed and informed reluctantly, "Unfortunately it's getting quite late and we should all return to our respective hosts soon."

Donald and Duchess nodded sadly and muttered their agreement.

"But before we part ways, I need to ask a favor of you both." Diva announced earnestly.

Disgust and her father looked at the Mother Emotion expectantly as she smiled sweetly and continued, "Us Mothers have been talking about who should meet their family after I've had my turn and we've come to a collective decision. Because Momma Fear is such a sweet and considerate Emotion and she has already met her son, she wants to give the rest of us the pleasure of meeting our children first. And since Mother Joy is the only other Emotion left who still hasn't seen her family, we all agreed that she deserves to go next!"

Diva studied her family with pride. Then with a nod of encouragement she requested, "I need you both to tell your respective Joys to be ready to meet here next Friday!"

Disgust and her dad pledged their promises and the family exchanged a few more gentle hugs and "air kisses" before parting ways.

As she made her way back towards Headquarters, Duchess stuffed a few more chocolates in her mouth. She wants to make sure she gets rid of that awful broccoli aftertaste by the time she reaches home!

* * *

 **QUICK NOTE:**

 **By the way, Donald's special dish is not an actual recipe! I strongly advise that you don't try and replicate it :)**


	12. Let's Get Happy - Joy Family

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hey there everyone! I hope you're all enjoying these Emotional Family reunions so far :)** **Now there's only two reunions left to go and next up it's Joy's turn to meet her parents!**

 **Now seeing as this is Joy and we all know how hyper she can get when she's really excited…then again, when isn't Joy super excited? It's like she's permanently stuck in party mode! Anyway what I mean to say is expect lots of crazy hyper energy in this reunion! You'll probably feel tired after reading this chapter purely from Joy's exuberance!**

 **Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed up till now :)** **You guys are awesome and I really appreciate your wonderful feedback!**

 **I want to give a special thanks to Tripledent – your reviews have inspired some of the content in this chapter, (you suggested that Joy should play her accordion when she meets her parents as well as noting that she must have been quite a handful as a baby…I can assure you she is very much still a handful as you shall see!)**

 **I hope I managed to portray her character well in this. I have done my best and this is how I imagine a reunion with the Joy Family might play out…**

 **Once again it's time to reveal some secret names…and as you probably can guess from the previous three reunions, Joy and her parents all have names beginning with the letter "J".**

 **Enjoy everyone :)**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

Chapter 12.

It was a sunny Friday afternoon in late summer and the Andersen family had ordered some Chinese takeout for dinner.

As Jill cleared the table after their meal, her husband; Bill walked into the room after watching the evening news and announced casually, "I've just checked the weather forecast and they are predicting only a few more nice days remain this week before the rain sets in."

Jill and Riley both gave him questioning looks as Bill beamed at them happily, his broad smile betraying the fact that he was about to share another _"brilliant"_ idea with them.

"So I was wondering, if you girls don't have any other plans for tonight…"

He trailed off deliberately, his smile growing broader as he let them stew in suspense for a few seconds.

Finally, Bill pointed to himself dramatically and proclaimed, "Then your Special Event Organizer Extraordinaire here, may have some suggestions up his sleeve for some Friday family fun!"

Jill held up her hand in a blatant gesture to quell her husband's enthusiasm.

"Now you just hold on there handsome…" She opposed mockingly.

She wrapped an arm around Riley and declared, "You always get to pick our pre-weekend family activities! This time we girls have decided what we're going to do tonight!"

She narrowed her eye at Bill. "And whether you like it or not Mr. Extraordinaire, you are going to go with the flow!"

Jill glanced over at Riley and winked knowingly at her. Riley smiled back excitedly, realizing where her mother was going with this offer…

Jill looked back at her husband and stated, "These girls want to have some fun! So we've decided that we'd like to go to the summer carnival!"

Bill couldn't hide his disappointment as he gave his wife a wounded look. "Oh is that so girls? You know I had something else planned for us…"

"Well tough!" Jill exclaimed stubbornly. "Whatever it was, you had better shelve that idea for now because our minds have already been made! Isn't that right Riley?"

Riley nodded eagerly at her mother. "Absolutely!"

She shot her dad an apologetic shrug. "Sorry dad. But the carnival will be in town for only a few more days and mom and I really want to go!"

Jill nodded in agreement. "That's right! We feel like going on some rides and eating popcorn and cotton candy…and if you've still got what it takes _Mr. Sharp-shooter_ , maybe you could win us some stuffed animals in the skilled shooter game?"

Bill crossed his arms and glared smugly at his wife. "Oh, is that a challenge Jilly?"

Finally he nodded in consent, a devilish smile on his face as he bragged, "You're on girls! Let's do it! By the time tonight is over, I am going to fill this whole house with stuffed animals!"

XXX

While the Andersen's were getting ready to go to the carnival, inside Riley's Headquarters a tug-of-war was taking place amongst her Emotions as they fought for control over the console. Everybody was trying their best to keep Joy away from the buttons and levers, as they feared that her hyperactive energy might cause Riley to have a heart attack from over-excitement!

As if the thrill of meeting her parents tonight wasn't enough to make Joy bounce off the walls from sheer exuberance, Riley's mom announced that the family were off to the carnival, the result of which was the same as throwing accelerant onto a raging bonfire!

Upon hearing that wonderful news, Joy's enthusiasm had soared to a whole new level of hyper!

The yellow Emotion was squealing with delight and running around the room like a kid on the mother of all sugar highs and the other Emotions were at their wits' ends with trying to calm down their ecstatic leader!

Even Anger, who had tried to keep his temper under control all day because he knew how special tonight was for his yellow coworker, finally couldn't contain his agitation any longer.

"Holy popcorn Joy!" He yelled as he intercepted the laughing yellow projectile racing towards him at full speed. A small flicker of flames ignited on his head as he grabbed her by the arms and shook her firmly.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on getting ready to meet your parents? We can manage things at the console without your input right now!"

Joy beamed at him like a maniac and cupped his face in her hands.

"Get ready you say? HA! I was practically _born_ ready! All I need to do is grab my accordion and I'm all good to go!" She exclaimed.

With that she planted a kiss on Anger's stunned face and twisted out of his grip nimbly. Laughing with jubilation, Joy performed several cartwheels in quick succession across the room, her energetic tumbling so impressive that it would have made an Olympic gymnast look like an amateur!

Meanwhile in the outside world, the Andersen's were already at the carnival and Bill had a deep frown of concentration on his face as he aimed a cork gun directly at a sweet-looking Betty Boop plush at the Sharp-shooter game.

Riley was standing beside him, her eye trained on the same plush toy and a weapon in her own hand as she went up against her father to decide who the better marksman (or marksgirl) was. Jill was standing off to the side egging her daughter on with encouragement.

Inside Headquarters, the Emotions had all gathered around the console in anticipation, ready to help Riley win against her old man. Unfortunately, in their eagerness to assist Riley, they had temporarily forgotten about Joy, who was still jumping and dancing around the room with as much exuberance as ever…

Suddenly, just as Bill was about to pull the trigger and nail Betty Boop, Joy bounded up to the console and slammed her hand enthusiastically on the controls, hitting several buttons at once before the other Emotions could stop her.

This resulted in Riley lurching sideways clumsily and bumping into her dad at the exact moment he pulled the trigger on the cork weapon. The pellet shot past Betty Boop and nailed a big grinning Bugs Bunny toy right between the eyes, knocking him clean off his perch and leaving Betty unscathed.

Bill groaned irritably and snapped, "Riley! Look what you did! You messed up my shot!"

Back in Headquarters, Disgust turned to face Joy with a scowl as she mirrored Mr. Andersen's words. "Joy! Look what you've done! I had Riley aiming at Betty Boop, and thanks to you, Bill won us Bugs Bunny instead!"

Joy laughed dismissively, doing her best Bugs Bunny impersonation as she answered, "Eh…what's up doc? There's nothing wrong with Mr. Wabbit!"

XXX

After a couple of hours at the carnival, the Andersen's decided that it was time to head home. They had enjoyed a fun family evening, going on rides and eating popcorn and cotton candy until all three had gotten tummy aches.

During the drive home, Jill turned to her daughter and whispered, "It's a good thing that your father didn't live up to his sharp-shooting potential and win us many prizes. Now we don't have to worry about rearranging the furniture to make room for all his _trophies!_ "

Riley giggled and replied, "Yeah! All he got was a giant Bugs Bunny!"

She narrowed her eyes and taunted, "Which begs the question…who gets to keep the rabbit?"

Bill scoffed from the driver's seat. "Oh very funny! If you hadn't knocked into me young lady, we could have won Betty Boop instead!"

He shook his head. "Anyway it doesn't matter. The most important thing is that we all enjoyed ourselves! But if you girls can't decide on who gets custody of the bunny, then why don't we put him up in the study where everyone can enjoy him?" He offered lightly.

Riley smiled back happily at her father. "Yeah that sounds fair. I think we should do that…"

XXX

One hour later, after Bugs was settled into his new home and everyone had showered and changed, Riley and her parents retired to bed to sleep off their junk food binges and recover from all the thrills and excitement of the day.

Up in Headquarters, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness all held their breaths as Joy skipped up to the Recall Tube with her accordion in tow. Before exiting Headquarters and heading to Family Island, Joy turned around and waved energetically at her weary coworkers.

"That's all folks!" She declared happily. "At least for the rest of you it is…I'm off to meet _my_ folks!"

She turned to the Recall Tube and stepped inside, her voice trailing off as the suction drew her upwards. "Mommy! Daddy! Here I come! Yippeeee!"

As soon as she was gone, the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

Disgust yawned loudly. "Finally! Some peace and quiet! I'm exhausted from watching her jumping around all day!" She commented.

Sadness nodded, giving a silent yawn in response. "We better go and get some sleep before Joy comes back and tells us all about how wonderful her family reunion was…"

Anger grunted and quipped, "I'm not exactly a new age kind of guy, but after all that hyper-excitement I think I need to meditate to calm myself down before I can get any sleep!"

With that, the three Emotions walked out of the room wearily, leaving poor Fear behind to take Dream Duty. The purple Emotion grumbled something under his breath about how unfair it was that he was stuck doing Dream Duty tonight when he was just as exhausted as the others!

Without even bothering to make himself a cup of tea, he collapsed on the sofa and gazed tiredly at the monitor.

Apparently Dream Productions had been inspired by Riley's trip to the carnival, and particularly in her prize, as they were currently showing some Looney Toons cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd…

Fear gave a relieved sigh and closed his eyes as he curled up comfortably on the couch. It didn't look like Riley would be getting any nightmares tonight…how could she after such a fun and exciting day?!

Seizing the chance to catch some much needed rest himself, Fear decided he had at least 2-3 hours to sleep before Hurricane Joy comes back and wakes everyone up with her eagerness to tell them all about her experience with meeting her parents…

XXX

Meanwhile on Family Island…

The atmosphere was similar to that leading up to New Year's count down! And the moment Momma and Papa Joy reunited, there was certainly no shortage of Emotional fireworks!

The two parent Emotions made their ways towards the center of the Island from opposite directions. As papa Joy walked up the hill overlooking the parkland that was the heart of Family Island, his breath was taken away by the beauty he saw waiting for him near the big willow.

Momma Joy looked up at the beaming face of her long lost husband and she felt as though her heart would burst from happiness at the sight of him.

In the blink of an eye, the two Emotions ran towards each other, arms open wide and massive smiles of euphoria on their faces.

They fell into each other's loving embraces, laughing and shedding tears of joy (literally!) at the overwhelming feeling of being reunited after twelve years apart.

Finally, Momma Joy pulled away gently and cupped her husband's beaming golden face in her hands as she gave him about a million kisses in her enthusiasm.

"Oh Julius!" She whispered in between smothering him with kisses. "My Caesar of Love! I have missed you so much!"

Papa Joy ( **Julius** ) laughed happily, pulling away slightly from his wife's warm embrace, his face now covered with lipstick marks from her frenzied kissing.

"Ah Juliet! My one and only love!" He said cheerfully as he ran his fingers through her soft brown hair fondly.

"If I could, I would sweep you into my arms and carry you all the way to Verona! Then we could sit on a balcony and laugh as some poor Romeo tries to get your attention!"

Momma Joy ( **Juliet** ) giggled like a smitten schoolgirl and gazed into Julius' blue eyes with adoration.

"Oh we'd laugh all right! There's not a Romeo charming enough in the whole world who could win me over…"

She smiled fondly and stroked his blue hair as she whispered, "Because my heart has already been conquered by this Caesar of Love!"

Julius nodded proudly, his eyes sparkling with admiration as he took Juliet by the hand and spun her around playfully.

"Hey you know what?" He announced as Juliet giggled at his antics, her happiness making the golden aura surrounding her glow brighter than ever.

"Why don't we sing our special song? You remember the one Juliet? It was the song we sang to each other the night we first met?"

Before Juliet could answer, Julius started singing, doing his best to imitate Sonny's voice: "Baby…I got you babe…!"

Juliet smiled warmly and joined in, making her voice sound like Cher's as she sang along with gusto: "Cause you got me and baby I got you…"

They looked into each other's eyes and launched into the chorus together: "Baby…I got you babe!"

All of a sudden, the two Emotions were accompanied by some accordion music playing in tune to their singing. Whipping around eagerly, the proud parents got their first look at their daughter, as Joy skipped up to them whilst playing her accordion energetically, the biggest smile either of them had ever seen spread across her cheerful yellow face.

Juliet felt her heart beating rapidly as an overpowering sensation of love flowed through her at the sight of her smiling, happy little girl.

"There she is Julius!" The proud Momma breathed to her husband, her voice full of adoration as Joy stopped in front of them, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked at her parents.

"Meet our precious little Jewel! Our sparkly, gorgeous gem has arrived!"

Juliet opened her arms invitingly, tears of happiness flowing down her face as she called, "Come here baby! Give your Momma a hug!"

Joy gave a squeal of delight and dropping her accordion, she ran into her mother's warm embrace, her whole body trembling from happiness as she began jabbering excitedly, "Momsy! You are so pretty! You smell really good! Oh wow! Your shine is so bright…!"

Juliet laughed and kissed her daughter's shiny blue hair as Joy prattled on like a machine gun about how awesome her mother is.

"Okay…Okay sweetie…calm down…" Juliet urged as she tried to quell her daughter's hyper-excitement long enough to admire her closely.

Joy reined in her enthusiasm a little and squeezed her mother tightly. Juliet gave a surprised grunt from the strength of Joy's hug.

"Jewel…? Jewel! Momma can't breathe sweetheart…!" She wheezed breathlessly.

Joy released her embrace and looked apologetically into her mother's eyes. "Oh sorry Mommy! I'm just so excited to see you!"

Juliet smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair playfully. "I know my little Jewel! I love you so much sweetie!"

She leaned forward and rubbed her nose against Joy's, making her burst out with laughter.

"AHEM!"

Mother and daughter stopped their cheerful greeting and turned to see Julius, who had a mock frown on his face as he cleared his throat and ventured, "Do you think you have any hugs left for your good old dad Jewel?"

Joy ( **Jewel** ) smiled reassuringly and pounced on her father like a tigress, wrapping him in a warm embrace.

"Of course Daddyo! I never run out of those!" She exclaimed as she squeezed her father tightly.

Unlike Juliet, Julius didn't seem to mind having the life crushed out of him by Joy's ecstatic hug and he returned her gesture with equal gusto, all the while showering her head and face with kisses.

After several moments, the father Emotion pulled away gently and, placing one hand on Joy's back and the other behind her knees, he swept her off her feet and tossed her high into the air. Joy squealed in delight as he caught her safely. She remembered Bill playing this game with Riley when she was a baby and now her father was doing the exact same thing with her!

"Whoohoo! Yes! Do that again Daddy! Higher! Higher!" she chanted as Julius gathered his strength and tossed her into the air again, catching her safely and repeating the action a few more times.

"This is fun!" Joy exclaimed as she begged her father to do it again.

As much as Julius enjoyed seeing his daughter having fun, he was beginning to get tired. After all, this game is usually played with infants...and Jewel was not a baby anymore! He couldn't ignore the fact that his arms were starting to tire and he didn't want to accidentally drop her!

So after a few more throws, Julius gave his daughter a regretful look and put her down gently.

In a slightly out-of-breath voice he puffed, "If I throw you any higher Jewel, the stars might catch you and then you'd have to stay in the sky and become their queen! Plus your old dad is not quite in his prime anymore…I'm afraid that I'm not as strong as I used to be."

Joy nodded in understanding and kissed her father on the cheek affectionately. "That's okay Daddy! I still think you're awesome!"

With that, Joy laughed and started doing some cartwheels around her parents out of sheer happiness.

Julius turned to his wife and whispered admirably, "Juliet, you picked the perfect name for this sparkly little gem!"

Juliet nodded proudly. "Well that was easy! From the moment she was born, our girl reminded me of a precious Jewel!" She explained.

She laughed at Joy's playful antics as she cartwheeled past her, giving her a high-five with her foot as she tumbled past, giggling the whole time.

Juliet looked back at her husband. "There are jewels for love and jewels for anniversaries. They come in all colors of the rainbow…red, green, blue, and so many more…"

She gazed lovingly at Joy as she finally came to a stop in front of her folks with an enthusiastic, "TA DA!"

Reaching out her hand, the mother Emotion stroked Joy under her chin and said, "But this is the brightest, happiest Jewel of them all! I think it's very fitting, don't you honey?"

Joy clapped her hands in elation. "Oh it is! It is fitting and I love it! I love it! I love it!"

She dashed from her mother to her father and back again as she gave each high-speed hugs and kisses.

Suddenly she stopped as her eye fell on her accordion, still lying on the ground where she'd dropped it earlier. With a whoop of delight, Joy bent down and scooped it up excitedly.

"Hey! Do you guys want me to play my accordion for you?"

Without waiting for an answer, Joy began playing the tune from "Don't worry…be happy!"

Her parents looked on with admiration, nodding their heads to the music as they relished their daughter's skill and enthusiasm with that odd instrument.

Suddenly the melody changed as Joy switched to playing "If you're happy and you know it…"

Then midway through the song, she started belting out a couple of polka-sounding melodies which got her parents dancing along to the catchy beat.

After about half an hour of music and dancing, Julius and Juliet both sat down under the willow, feeling a little overwhelmed by their daughter's energy and vigor. Regardless, their eyes were filled with pride as they watched Joy twirling and dancing gracefully before them, their hearts feeling as though they would burst from love and happiness!

Julius smiled fondly. "Oh, sweetheart! You are such a talented little musician!" He praised.

Jewel laughed and agreed in a cheerful voice, "Yes I am! I am!"

Then, fixing her parents with a fond look, she began making up a song on the spot especially for them: "I love my Mommy! I love my Daddy! My mom is a queen. My dad is a king. And we all can sing…"

Joy's parents looked at each other and exchanged a nod as they joined in with their daughter's singing, "We bring joy to each and to all!"

Joy beamed with excitement as she put down her accordion and remarked, "Hey, maybe we should form a band or something!"

Julius chuckled lightly at this suggestion. "What a wonderful concept my little Jewel!"

He looked away and sighed sadly. "Unfortunately we can't stay together all the time sweetheart…we each need to help bring joy to the lives of our hosts. Without us, they could never experience happiness!"

For the first time tonight, Joy felt a twinge of sadness surface in her otherwise upbeat mood.

"Oh right…" She mumbled as she remembered the time she and Sadness were lost in the Mind World and Riley was left without joy in her life. She could never put her host through something like that again…

Julius noticed his daughter's sudden decline in cheerfulness and he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But now that we know how, we can meet here again from time to time!"

He smiled warmly at her and ruffled her hair playfully, causing Joy to giggle and push the sad thoughts out of her mind.

"And from now on, we can sing the song you created for us whenever we're feeling a little down! It could be like the Joy Family Anthem!"

Joy looked into her father's kind blue eyes and smiled in appreciation. "Yeah, that's a great idea! Let's do that!"

Juliet watched the father/daughter bonding moment with fondness, her heart swelling with pride at the sight of her family. She waited patiently for a few minutes before leaning towards Joy and whispering excitedly, "I made you a little gift Jewel! Something small to remember me by…I hope you like it!"

Joy rubbed her hands together in anticipation as her mother reached into a hidden pocket of her dress and pulled out a beautiful little bracelet.

Smiling, she handed the bracelet to her daughter, who accepted it with trembling fingers. It was made of many colorful beads strung together, all of them depicting various symbols associated with happiness: there was a yellow smiley face, a little sun, a star, a flower, a butterfly and a love heart amongst other things.

Joy gave a cheerful laugh and hugged her mother gratefully. "I love it! I love it! Oh thank you Mommy! It's so beautiful!"

She turned to her father and showed her present to him excitedly. "Look Daddy! Oh wait till I get back to Headquarters…Disgust is going to be so jealous!"

Julius nodded his head in agreement. "It sure is beautiful Jewel! Your mother can turn anything she touches into beauty and joy!"

He gave his wife a look of pure admiration. Juliet blushed and looked away shyly, a small smile of appreciation on her lips.

Meanwhile, Joy put on her new bracelet and held her arm out in front of her, admiring the way her mother's gift caught the moonlight and reflected it into tiny glittering diamonds of light, so that now she really did sparkle like a Jewel!

Julius watched his daughter fondly, a broad smile appearing on his face as he ducked behind a row of bushes and retrieved the gift he had hidden there earlier. Now he felt it was the right time to present his daughter with a little surprise of his own…

Joy was still admiring her bracelet when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw the smiling face of her father as he stood before her, his hands hiding something behind his back.

"I also have a little gift for you sweetheart! It's nowhere near as great as your mother's present, but I think you'll enjoy it…"

He trailed off and chuckled softly, causing Joy to bounce up and down expectantly.

"Oh what is it? What is it? Show me Daddy!" She chanted excitedly as Julius revealed the small box of chocolates he'd been hiding behind his back.

"You see, I've always had a bit of a sweet-tooth and I thought that you might have inherited a similar trait from me?"

He offered her the box and said, "So I decided to bring you a box of my favorite chocolates!"

Joy clapped her hands and did a little jig on the spot from unbridled happiness. "Oh I love it! That's awesome!"

She accepted the gift eagerly, never taking her eyes off the box as she asked her dad, "Can I start eating them now? Please?!"

Julius nodded and was about to reply, but Joy didn't bother waiting for an answer. Like an over-excited child at a birthday party, she ripped the packaging apart and proceeded to stuff her face shamelessly.

"Yummo, Yummo, Yum, Yum!" she commentated in between mouthfuls, her parents laughing at her enthusiasm.

Within seconds, Joy had polished off the whole box. She gave a loud burp of satisfaction, which only made her parents laugh harder.

"Oh! Pardon me!" Joy apologized, giving them an innocent shrug. "Those where delicious Daddy! I wish I had some more…"

Julius gave her a wink and tapped the side of his nose with a finger. "You know Jewel, I just might be able to make your wish come true…"

Joy looked on with ever mounting elation as her father ducked back behind the bushes and produced another box of chocolates!

He handed her the box, his voice sounding a little sheepish as he admitted, "You see, I wasn't sure if I should be expecting one or two little bundles of joy when I arrived here tonight…"

He shrugged. "So I decided to bring two boxes…just in case!"

Joy snatched the box from his hands and started ripping off the packaging with as much vigor as before. "Wow! Thanks Daddy! You really are the greatest!"

Before she could get stuck into the second box of chocolates, Juliet stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, concern in her voice as she ventured, "Sweetie? Don't you want to save some of those for later? I wouldn't want you to give yourself a stomach ache…"

Joy looked up at her mother, her blue eyes full of mischief and replied, "No way! If I take these back to Headquarters, Disgust will want to eat them herself!"

With that, Joy turned her attention back to her prize and resumed stuffing her face eagerly.

Juliet leaned towards her husband and whispered in his ear, "Julius honey? Couldn't you have kept that second box hidden? I really don't think our daughter needs any more sugar…at this rate, we'll be dragging ourselves back to our hosts on all fours by the end of the night!"

Julius smiled and shook his head dismissively. "Oh come on Juliet! Look at her! She's having the time of her life!"

He gestured to Joy, who had just about finished the second box and was now rubbing off the chocolate smudges from around her mouth with the back of her hand.

Juliet gave a sigh of resignation and nodded slowly. "I guess you're right honey…I love seeing our little girl so happy! I am so proud of her Julius!"

"So am I Juliet! So am I…" Julius agreed, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders as they both watched their daughter lovingly.

After a few minutes, Joy had finished cleaning off her face from her chocolate binge and fixed her parents with a radiant smile.

"Okey dokey! That's what I'm talking about!"

She threw one arm around her mother's neck and the other around her dad's, kissing them each on the cheek in turn as she declared, "I love you Momsy! I love you Daddyo!"

Then she grabbed them both by the hands and started pulling them into the clearing, her face beaming with delight as she announced chirpily, "Now let's dance!"

The parent Emotions gave each other weary looks as they allowed their excitable daughter to drag them along. Despite the fact that they were all Joy Emotions, Julius and Juliet were both beginning to feel a little drained towards the end of the night.

Their daughter on the other hand, showed no signs of tiring. In fact, it appeared to them that Jewel could keep up her playful antics endlessly!

And they really didn't want to spoil her fun…

So without complaint, the tired parents spent the next hour dancing with their lovely daughter, their laughter rolling off the hills of Family Island and echoing around the Mind World.

XXX

By now it was well after midnight. Julius and Juliet both collapsed on the grass in exhaustion, as Joy kept dancing with as much energy as ever.

She bounded up to her parents and pulled them by the arms.

"Come on you guys! Let's dance some more…" She coaxed cheerfully.

"Oh we'd love to sweetheart…but it's getting late and we should be returning to our hosts soon." Julius panted, sweat drenching his blue hair as he gave his daughter an apologetic look.

Juliet tried to catch her breath, her chest heaving from overexertion as she gasped, "But we want you to know that we both adore you more than anything else in this world Jewel! You fill our lives with even more joyfulness!"

"If that's possible for Joy Emotions like us?!" She added with a cheerful laugh.

Joy helped her parents to their feet and drew them together into a massive family hug. "I love you both so much too! You are the best parents in the whole world and I will never forget this night for as long as I live!"

The three Emotions relished each other's embrace, their combined golden auras shining so brightly, that Family Island could be seen glowing like a midnight sun from Headquarters!

Then with a few departing kisses, they said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways. Julius and Juliet dragged themselves to their respective hosts' Headquarters with aching feet. But both had huge smiles on their faces, their hearts filled with pure love for each other and their sparkly, happy Jewel…

As Jewel made her way along the path leading back to Headquarters, she began playing her accordion, skipping in time with the lively and uplifting melody as she pictured the smiling faces of her parents in her mind. In a cheerful voice, she sang the song she had made up with her family during their reunion, (the Joy Family Anthem as her father; Julius had called it) all the way home.


	13. Running Scared - Fear Family (Part 1)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hello again everybody! Well here we are at last! 4 Emotions have already enjoyed successful reunions with their long-lost parents and discovered many secrets about themselves along the way. Now are you all ready to find out how our last Emotional Family Reunion will turn out?**

 **Before we get started, I'd just like to say how thrilled I am about this particular Family Reunion! Those of you who have been reading and following this story from the beginning, will probably guess why I'm so excited about this meet-up…**

 **As much as I enjoyed working on the other Emotions and their families, there is one Emotion that has a very special place in my heart and finally I get to write his story! That's right, we've come to my favorite Inside Out character of them all: FEAR!**

 **I absolutely ADORE this nervous, cowardly, wide-eyed, hounds-tooth sweater-wearing, bow tied, fuzzy, purple little guy so much! (The label** _ **"Super-Passionate, Obsessive Fangirl That Really Needs to Get a Life"**_ **doesn't even come close to describing how much I love this character!)**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story up till now! I can't tell you all how much I appreciate your support! (I will name each and every one of you in the very last chapter of this story!)**

 **Which brings me to another important note worth mentioning before we get started…**

 **Although this is officially the last of the Emotional Family Reunions, I'd like to point out that it is** _ **NOT**_ **the final chapter of the whole story! Once Fear has met his parents, there will be one additional chapter to conclude everything before I click on the "** _ **complete"**_ **status for this particular story.**

 **One final thing:**

 **As you would know from reading the previous 4 Family Reunions, we will learn the secret names of Fear and his parents (all of which begin with the letter** _ **F**_ **) somewhere in the midst of their get-together…**

 **That's enough said for now! Please do read on and I really hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I loved writing it :)**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13.**

Sometimes, you really _can_ trust meteorologists. As Bill recalled from last Friday's weather report, they were predicting torrential rain to set in during the last week of summer.

And boy did Mother Nature deliver on that promise!

As Bill stood by the lounge room window, watching the sky dump bucket loads of rain across their neighborhood, he couldn't help uttering a depressed sigh.

Thunder rumbled menacingly overhead and lightning split open the heavens, as the city of San Francisco was plunged into premature darkness. Apparently the massive storm system had taken out the city's main power grid and now hundreds of thousands of residents in the Bay Area were left without electricity for the evening.

And unfortunately, the Andersen household was among those on Nature's hit list tonight…

Bill turned his gaze away from the window and addressed his wife and daughter somberly. "Well my dear girls, it looks like Mother Nature has decided our Friday Family Activity for us..."

He gave a resigned sigh and shrugged. "I guess we're staying in tonight."

Riley was staring off into space absently, a bored expression on her face as she watched the rain pelting off the window in a steady continuous sheet.

Jill was curled up on the couch, shivering pitifully as more thunder crashed loudly overhead. She was terrified of thunderstorms! She always had been since childhood, and she couldn't understand how her husband and daughter managed to remain so _calm_ in the middle of a massive storm like this!

She dreaded the deafening crash of thunder breaking directly overhead; a sound so loud that it shook the whole house with its intensity!

But worst of all was the lightning…

The endless anticipation of a blinding flash that couldn't be avoided even when she closed her eyes! Jill just couldn't for the life of her figure out why anyone would _enjoy_ experiencing a thunderstorm!

People said it was one of the greatest spectacles of nature. Kind of like the Earth's own natural fireworks display!

But poor Jill just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide until this "fascinating" lightshow was over!

"That's fine by me! There's no way I'm stepping outside during a storm like this!" Jill whimpered fearfully. She covered her head with a pillow in a futile attempt to block out the awful flashes of lightning illuminating the lounge room.

Bill looked at her thoughtfully, an idea slowly forming in his head as he thought of a fun way to pass the time until the power came back on…

"Hey! How about we light a few candles in here and reminisce about some happier times back in Minnesota?"

He glanced over at Riley and gave her a broad smile. "We could make some hot chocolate and exchange funny stories from the past!"

He winked at his daughter and added playfully, "And if I'm not mistaken, I could have sworn that I saw a delicious cherry pie in the fridge just begging to be eaten?!"

Riley's eyes lit up in excitement and she nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yeah! That sounds like a pretty good plan dad!"

She glanced at her mother and ventured in a pleading voice, "Can we eat that pie now mom? Please…?"

Without lifting the pillow off her head, Jill replied indifferently, "The two of you can do whatever you want! I'm not moving from this sofa until this hellish storm is over!"

Riley and her father exchanged eager looks and together, they started making preparations for their family night in.

Within several minutes, the formally dim and foreboding room was looking a lot more inviting. A dozen or so sweet-scented candles dotted the room, their ambient light flickering softly and creating enchanting shadows on the walls.

Riley had made some hot chocolate for the three of them and sat in the armchair opposite her parents, eating a slice of her mother's homemade cherry pie with a content smile on her face.

Even Jill seemed to be a lot calmer now that there was a soothing light source in the room and she was distracted by the hot chocolate and cherry pie in front of her. The thunder and lightning outside didn't appear as terrifying now that they were spending some quality bonding time together as a family.

Bill had seated himself next to his wife in order to comfort her if she started freaking out about the storm again.

He looked at his daughter encouragingly as he took a bite of cherry pie. "Okay Riley. You go first! Tell us a nice story…what's your favorite childhood memory from Minnesota."

Riley seemed lost in her thoughts for a few moments, happy memories of her childhood playing in her head as Joy took the initiative inside Headquarters.

Finally, a fond smile appeared on Riley's lips as she described the memory Joy had selected for her and placed into the projector.

"I remember one Christmas back in Minnesota when I was about five…"

Her eyes glinted with excitement as she began reminiscing. "There was a lot of snow that year and I remember we went into the yard at night and built this awesome snowman!"

She glanced up at her mother. "Do you remember mom? We didn't have any carrots so we ended up using a cucumber for the snowman's nose! And then we put grandma's old wig on his head for fun!" She hinted cheerfully.

Jill laughed at the silly memory. Her eyes lit up with recognition as she recalled, "Ah yes! I know which Christmas you're referring to! That was one ridiculous-looking snowman...and then your father decided it would be a good idea to stick a roasted turkey leg in the snowman's mouth!"

She shot Bill a teasing look and reminded them all of how the neighborhood dogs certainly thought that was a good idea!

Riley burst out with laughter, almost choking on her hot chocolate. "Oh yeah! The next morning it looked like all the stray dogs in the neighborhood were fighting over that turkey leg!"

"They destroyed the snowman and ripped grandma's wig to shreds!" Riley laughed so hard that she snorted, and this in turn triggered another bout of giggling from both her and her parents.

"You see sweetheart?" Jill stated as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes with the back of her hand. "Nothing has changed after all these years! Your father was always full of _brilliant_ ideas!"

Bill stood up with a devilish smile on his face and took an exaggerated bow like an actor receiving an Oscar. "I am at your service my dear ladies! It has always been my pleasure to make you smile!"

Riley and Jill played along with his extravagant showmanship and both gave him an enthusiastic round of applause.

Bill beamed at them proudly and sat back down next to Jill, a playful glint in his eye as he addressed his wife. "Okay Jilly. You're up next! Being the gentleman that I am, I believe in the old adage: Ladies First!"

Jill got a faraway look in her brown eyes, her expression becoming nostalgic. When she finally found the strength to speak, her voice was tinged with sadness as she decided to share a very special memory from her past…

"The other day, I was thinking way back to my childhood too. I must have been about twelve at the time…" She smiled warmly as she looked at her daughter.

"That means I was the same age as you are now Riley!" Jill sighed, nostalgia for her youth making her eyes tear up slightly.

She took a deep breath and went on reflectively. "Anyway, I was always begging my parents to let me have a puppy or a kitten. But no matter how much I pleaded, the answer remained the same…they always said _No_."

Riley was listening with deep interest to her mother's story. She had always wanted a puppy or kitten as well! And ironically, whenever she asked _her_ parents about the subject, she tended to receive the same answer as Jill did with her mother and father…

Jill must have recognized the same dreamy expression in Riley's eyes from her own childhood, because she smiled at her daughter sympathetically and continued in a hushed whisper.

"Yes my parents were strictly against us having any pets. But one day something incredible happened that changed the course of my childhood…"

Jill's voice rose with excitement as she revealed, "One morning, I was in the kitchen having breakfast alone when I heard this strange scratching sound coming from the front door. I was curious, so I went out to investigate and do you know what I found in our front yard? It was a gorgeous black kitten with a tiny patch of white fur between its eyes!"

Jill sighed fondly. "Oh Riley! If only you could have seen him! He was the most adorable, fluffiest little thing with the greenest eyes imaginable! As I stood there staring at him with a sense of wonder, he looked right back into my eyes and gave the sweetest little meow! So I picked him up and decided then and there that he was mine and I wouldn't let anyone ever take him away from me!"

Riley leaned forward in her seat, her curiosity burning as she whispered in a small voice, "But mom...you said that grandma and grandpa wouldn't let you have any pets! What did you do when they found out?!"

Jill gave a soft chuckle, her brown eyes gleaming with pride as she explained, "Well funny you should ask that sweetie! You see the strangest thing happened! My mom and dad came out to see what all the noise and fuss was about and of course, they found me standing in the yard holding the black kitten to my chest. But instead of telling me off for disobeying their _no pets policy_ , they took one look at that kitten and both fell in love with his irresistible cuteness instantly!"

Jill smiled serenely at the memory. "So in the end, they allowed me to keep him after all! That kitten became my best friend and constant companion all throughout the remainder of my childhood and well into my adolescent years! Wherever I went, I always had my faithful little friend by my side!"

Riley wiped a tear from her eye and replied with a note of relief, "Oh mom! That sounds so amazing!"

Suddenly a curious thought entered her mind. "What was the kitten's name?"

Jill laughed fondly as she recalled the memory. A vindictive smile spread across her face as she admitted, "Well you see, that's a funny story sweetie…"

She leaned forward and disclosed proudly, "I named him _Freddy Krueger_! You've got to understand that the movie _"A Nightmare on Elm Street"_ was very popular at that time. Most of my friends saw it, but naturally my parents didn't let me see it until I was fifteen!"

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "So as a personal form of rebellion, I decided to name my kitten after the monster in that movie just to remind my parents every day of what they tried to deprive me of!"

She shrugged innocently. "In my opinion, _Freddy Krueger_ was a very fitting name for a black cat with sharp claws and a nasty habit of scratching up my mother's furniture! Yes…my parents had to replace many sofas throughout the years because of Freddy Krueger's fondness of using all our furniture as his scratching post!"

"But apart from that nasty little habit, he was definitely not a monster! That was the gentlest, most sweet-natured cat anyone could ever have hoped for!" Jill finished with a sad smile.

Bill had been listening to his wife's story in respectful silence. Placing a hand affectionately on Jill's shoulder, he told Riley matter-of-factly, "You see my girl? Your mother was quite the rebel and prankster when she was young!"

Jill gave her husband a sideways glance and elbowed him in the ribs mockingly. "Oh you can talk Wise Guy! Why don't you share a little snippet from your past with us now?!"

Bill chuckled diabolically, his eyes full of mischief as he boasted, "Oh don't worry my girls! Have I got a story for you! While I was listening to the two of you sharing those happy moments from your childhoods, I managed to dig up a vintage memory from my own past that is sure to have you rolling on the floor with laughter!"

Without waiting for a reply from either Jill or Riley, Bill sat up straight in his seat and began recounting his story willfully.

"Back when I was about sixteen, I had this really good friend named Jack. Now Jack was a very outgoing and daring kid and his family were all a little on the wild side. His parents both had a taste for wine and they would often overindulge on their drink of choice and throw some wild parties at their house. My own parents called them a neighborhood nuisance and didn't like me hanging around their son Jack much. But Jack and I were best friends and we always used to hang out together at school, so naturally I didn't listen to my parents' warning…"

Bill trailed off, a faraway look in his eyes as he temporarily lost himself in his reverie.

Jill cleared her throat and urged him on impatiently, "And…? Please do go on dear. We really can't wait to see where you're heading with this "insightful" little tale…"

She rolled her eyes peevishly behind her husband's back and Riley stifled a giggle at her mother's show of remonstrance.

Bill drew a deep breath and went on obliviously, "Anyway, one night I waited until my parents had fallen asleep and then I snuck out of my room and went to Jack's house. Now I should mention that Jack had an older sister named Joanne, and she was even crazier than their parents when it came to breaking the rules! On that particular night that I chose to pay a visit, Jack's parents were throwing another of their wild parties. Joanne decided it would be a great idea to have some mulled wine ourselves…"

Riley's eyes widened in surprise at this admission. "Dad! You don't drink!" She gasped.

Jill nodded in agreement, her eyes scrutinizing her husband harshly as she seconded her daughter's observation. "Yeah Bill…would you care to fill us in on that obscure little detail that you never mentioned to me before?"

Bill waved off their concern lightly, his eyes full of sincerity as he promised, "Don't worry my lovely ladies! I was never a drinker in the past and I can assure you both that I don't intend to become one anytime soon! Out of simple politeness to my friend and his sister, I only took a few tiny sips. But those two were seasoned experts on wine culture due to their parents and let's just say they both got a little carried away in their eagerness!"

Bill noticed the relieved smiles on Jill and Riley's faces and nodded in reassurance. "After Jack and his sister had mellowed down from the wine, we played cards in Jack's room for a while. Being the only clear-headed one in the group, I kept beating them and after several rounds I guess they both got a little bored from losing constantly! That's when Joanne decided that we should go to the cemetery a few miles from their house and light some candles on her grandfather's grave, since it was meant to be his birthday that day."

Bill shivered slightly at the thought. "At that point, I decided to go home. My parents were right to warn me about Jack and his crazy family and I suddenly felt really uncomfortable around his creepy sister! But then they both started teasing me and calling me names like _Girl, Sissy, Chicken and Scaredy-Cat_! I couldn't let them humiliate me like that! So reluctantly, I agreed to go with them to the cemetery."

Riley gave a disgusted grimace as she remarked, "Those people sound like a bunch of weirdos!"

Then despite herself, she leaned forward and whispered eagerly, "What did you do next dad? Did you actually end up going to the cemetery in the middle of the night?"

Bill nodded and exclaimed excitedly, "Yes! And if I remember correctly, I checked my watch as we passed through the gateway of the cemetery and it was exactly midnight! By this point, even Jack had started freaking out and the two of us hid behind a tree as Joanne walked on brazenly. Because she was eighteen and Jack and I were both only sixteen, she had consumed more wine than either of us and as a result she wasn't all that aware of her surroundings…"

A broad smile appeared on Bill's face. Apparently, he was nearing the so-called punch line of his story and he was eager to share the joke with his family.

"Joanne was so lost in her own world that she didn't even realize that Jack and I were no longer behind her! She kept walking ahead and talking loudly as if we were still there! After a few seconds she finally seemed to notice our absence and she turned around drunkenly and slurred, "Guys! Where are you…?!"

Bill burst out laughing. "Before she could even finish her sentence, she suddenly disappeared into the ground! Apparently she had fallen straight into a freshly-dug grave!"

Jill stared at her husband with a mortified expression as he went into a laughing fit beside her, his whole face turning as red as a tomato and tears streaming from his eyes.

"Bill!" She uttered in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock as her husband went into hysterics and nearly fell off the couch as he doubled over from laughter.

"That's an awful story!" Jill exclaimed incredulously.

Riley stared at her father with equal uneasiness. "Yeah dad that's just creepy! I mean Jack's sister fell into an open grave?! Was there like a dead person in there with her?"

"Riley?!" Jill gasped in horror, her hand covering her mouth as she stared at her daughter with a look of shock.

Riley shrugged innocently and replied, "What? I was just wondering…"

Bill finally managed to pull himself together. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he admitted sheepishly, "I don't know sweetheart. Jack and I didn't stick around to investigate…we were both screaming and running for our lives!"

Suddenly a deafening roar of thunder broke directly overhead. Despite the fact that he wasn't scared of thunderstorms, Bill couldn't help uttering a startled scream as Jill threw herself into his arms in uncontrolled terror.

"How long is this horrible storm going to last anyway?!" Jill whined, her voice sounding muffled due to her face being buried in her husband's armpit. She couldn't care less about that! Jill just wanted this nightmarish evening to be over!

Bill comforted her gently, his eyes focused on Riley as he concluded, "You want to know what the creepiest thing about that experience at the cemetery was sweetheart? The very next day at school, Joanne claimed that she didn't just accidentally stumble into that grave…she said that someone or _something_ had pushed her!"

As he finished speaking, Bill jokingly gave his wife a rough slap on the back. Poor Jill jumped off the sofa in fright and let out an ear-splitting scream.

"BILL! You idiot! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" She reprimanded crossly. Then just as suddenly as she felt that wave of indignity come over her, the more playful side of Jill's personality took over and she grabbed the nearest cushion off the sofa and whacked her husband on the head with it.

"Hey! Honey? Can't we talk about this like civilized people?" Bill pleaded, spitting a few feathers from his mouth as the cushion gave up some of its stuffing the moment it collided with his face.

Jill glared back at him tauntingly. "Not a chance buddy!"

Then she grabbed another cushion and tossed it to Riley, a devilish glint in her eyes as she commanded, "Come on Riley! Help me beat some sense into your wisecracking father!"

Within a couple of minutes, the Andersen's lounge room was littered with feathers as a full-blown pillow fight broke out among Riley and her parents…

XXX

Inside Headquarters, all five Emotions were gathered around the console. As they watched Riley and her parents having a pillow fight, an unusual silence hung over the room, the five young Emotions still mesmerized by the stories they had just heard.

Finally, the tension in the air was broken by Disgust as the green Emotion voiced the thought that was on her mind.

"Wow! I have to admit, that was pretty cool." She commented after a moment's reflection.

From beside her, Sadness nodded slowly. Her naturally melancholy voice belied her excitement as she offered timidly, "Yeah. I liked Riley's story the most. The part where the dogs destroyed the snowman and ripped up Grandma's wig was so sad."

Joy clapped her hands out of sheer delight, her blue eyes twinkling with happiness as she watched Riley in the midst of cushion combat with her mom and dad on the monitor. While Bill was busy aiming his next swing at Jill's back, Riley snuck up quietly behind her father like a tigress stalking her prey, her feather-stuffed weapon readied over her shoulder as she timed her swing carefully.

Just as Bill turned to see where his daughter was, Riley nailed him across the face with her pillow, feathers exploding in all directions as Bill's face was obscured by white cloth and feather stuffing.

Joy whooped in victory and danced on the spot enthusiastically. "Well I personally liked Jill's story the most! That kitten sounded so adorable…"

Anger grunted in disdain from beside his yellow co-worker. A wicked smile appeared on his lips as he grumbled, "Oh come on! Bill's story was obviously the coolest! It was loaded with dark humor…and if you ask me, that's the best kind of entertainment there is!"

The stout red Emotion turned to face Fear, a teasing glint in his amber-colored eyes as he uttered an evil laugh.

"Hey you'd better watch yourself out there Beanpole! Who knows what's lurking outside on a stormy night like this, just waiting to push you into the Memory Dump when you're walking across the bridge to Family Island?!"

Fear was huddled at the far end of the console, his whole body trembling like a leaf caught in a windstorm.

"Oh boy! Oh boy!" he whimpered in a small panicky voice, hugging himself tightly as he fought back his rising terror.

"Why did I have to listen to that awful story?! How on Earth am I supposed to go out there by myself now?!"

Joy stepped forward and put a reassuring hand on Fear's trembling shoulder. "Come on Fear! Be brave! Don't you want to see your lovely mother again and meet your dad for the first time?"

Fear looked up at her with wide-eyes, his voice rising in desperation as he pointed out, "I don't know how to be brave Joy! It's not in my nature! If there's a manual for teaching Fears how to be less _fearful_ , then no one showed it to me!"

He looked away in shame and whispered, "I don't know if I'm capable of stepping outside right now…"

Sadness listened in quiet compassion and sighed miserably. Fixing her purple co-worker with tear-filled eyes, she urged gently, "Come on Fear! You just have to go! Your parents will be so sad if you don't show up."

Fear felt like a vice was squeezing his heart as he listened to Sadness' words. He had never met his dad before so he really didn't know what to expect from him…

But he already knew his kind, beautiful mother and how special these reunions were to her. He desperately wanted to see her again and feel her loving embrace as she held him close, the soothing rhythm of her heartbeat against his own chest stirring special memories within him of when he was a baby and how she used to comfort him whenever he felt scared.

He couldn't let her down now because of his cowardice!

 _You have to do this Fear!_ He mentally told himself, determination appearing in his gray eyes as he felt a tiny shred of courage enter his nervous being. _After everything she's done for you to make these reunions possible, you owe your mother that much!_

Suddenly he let out a shriek of alarm as Sadness gently touched his shoulder. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he had failed to notice the blue Emotion approach him, her kind blue eyes full of sympathy.

Sadness recoiled slightly from his shrill cry and looked down at her feet apologetically.

"I just wanted to let you know that meeting my own parents was the best day of my life." She confessed in a gloomy voice.

Joy, Anger and Disgust gathered in a half-circle around their purple co-worker and nodded in agreement.

"Me too!" They said in unison.

Joy smiled warmly at her purple colleague, her golden aura shining even more brightly than usual as she assured softly, "You see Fear? You absolutely have to go and thank your mom on all of our behalves! She's the one who made these family reunions possible for all of us!"

The lead Emotion glanced up at her three colleagues, all of whom were nodding in silent gratitude.

Joy looked back down at Fear and placed her hands on her hips. Her voice was full of mock strictness as she ordered, "You have to go and that's final!"

Fear nodded in resignation and glanced towards the Recall Tube in the corner of the room.

"Do any of you want to walk with me at least part of the way?" He gulped nervously, the sliver of courage he felt before already dissipating as he looked out the window at the gloomy darkness of the Mind World beyond.

Anger stepped forward, the top of his head beginning to smolder warningly as he grumbled, "No way! The rest of us all went on our journeys alone and now it's your turn Beanpole!"

"That's right Fear." Joy conferred as she placed her hands on Fear's shoulders and guided him towards the waiting Recall Tube. "Off you go then! Say hello to your mother from the rest of us and have fun meeting your dad out there!"

Before he could protest, Joy pressed a button on the floor and activated the Tube, shoving the nervous purple Emotion inside. A final screech of panic trailed off behind him as the suction drew Fear out of Headquarters…

 _To Be Continued…_

 **QUICK NOTE:**

 **Well as you can see this chapter was becoming pretty long! I see no other option than to split this reunion into two parts otherwise we'll be looking at a massive 10,000+ word chapter if I do it in one go!**

 **I didn't expect the Family Bonding session with Riley and her parents to turn out so long…but seeing as how this is the last Family Reunion, I guess that it's only fitting that the Riley and her parents get to have some extended family time as well!**

 **Obviously I didn't get to cover Fear meeting his parents in this chapter, but I can assure you that I am working on the second part of this Reunion immediately after I posted this chapter!**

 **I promise to have the rest of this Reunion out by the end of the week as I know many of you have been curious about Fear meeting his dad** **(His mom will be there too just to let you know, as it wouldn't be a proper family reunion without Fear having both his parents there!)**

 **So be sure to stick around folks because I can't wait to share the rest of the Nerve Family Reunion with you!**

 **Svinorita**


	14. Running Scared - Fear Family (Part 2)

**Hello again wonderful readers! Right, I won't annoy you with another massive Author's Note at the beginning of the chapter because I bet you're all really curious to FINALLY meet the Nerve Family!**

 **Like I promised, here's the rest of Fear's Family Reunion (with the actual Reunion this time!) so let's get straight into it :)**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14.**

Fear was walking nervously towards Family Island. Throughout the short journey from Long Term Memory to his destination, he kept up a constant vigilance of his surroundings, alternately scanning the terrain in front of him and glancing back over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him.

Despite the exhilaration he felt about seeing his mother again, he also had a tight knot of anxiety in his stomach at the prospect of meeting his father.

It's not that he was afraid of his dad. Fear was naturally nervous about meeting _anyone_ for the first time!

It's just that he couldn't stop thinking about that unsettling story his mother told him about her first encounter with his father...

He swallowed nervously as his mother's warning echoed around inside his head:

 _Your father was very persuasive and persistent in his efforts to win me over son. From the moment I first laid eyes on him, I knew this Emotion wasn't going to take "No" for an answer, and frankly his overbearing confidence and lack of respect for other Emotion's personal space, unnerved me! So I did what any decent Fear would do…I ran from him as fast as I could!_

Fear shivered as he recalled how that _"date"_ had ended for his poor mother…

 _Instead of giving up, your father gave chase immediately, demanding how much he loved me and how fate had brought us together! We must have been quite a sight to anyone who happened to be watching…two Fear Emotions running flat out at close to 60 miles per hour all over the Mind World! Every time I slowed down, thinking I had lost him, he would jump out from behind a wall or tree and the chase would start all over again! For two hours, he pursued me relentlessly until neither of us could run any more and we both literally collapsed from exhaustion!_

Despite the decidedly unpleasant circumstances surrounding their initial meeting, Fear's mother had reassured him that everything did work out well in the end.

 _Even though your father had scared the living daylights out of me and literally ran me into the ground with his persistence, I had to admit he was quite handsome and charming…in an obstinate kind of way! So in the end, I gave in to his charms. That turned out to be the best decision I've ever made because he ended up giving me the most precious gift of all…you! So I guess your father was right after all…fate really had brought us together and you are the result of our love for each other!_

As Fear drew closer to Family Island, he kept repeating, "I think I can…I think I can…" under his breath in an attempt to settle his frayed nerves, the anticipation of being reunited with his parents making him tremble more than ever.

But compared to a few minutes ago, he found himself shaking from excitement rather than trepidation.

"Okay! Let's do this!" Fear reassured himself aloud as he walked briskly over the bridge and entered Family Island.

He quickly worked his way into the center of the Island, his anticipation growing larger by the second. His heart was beating rapidly by the time he reached the rendezvous spot, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he followed the path into the clearing ahead.

And then he saw her…

Sitting on the bench beneath the willow tree, waiting patiently for him to arrive just like all their previous get-togethers, was his beautiful mother.

Fear felt a wave of relief and love wash over him at the sight of her. Likewise, his mother looked up at the sound of his approach, a massive smile of adoration spreading across her face as she got up and started walking towards him, opening her arms wide in an unmistakable gesture of invitation.

Fear didn't need any further encouragement. He gave a little squeal of delight and easily broke Usain Bolt's Olympic record as he sprinted into his mother's welcoming embrace.

"Oh mom! I'm so glad to see you again! I missed you so much!" Fear exclaimed as he threw his arms around her fondly, hugging his mother tightly as he buried his face in her long brown hair.

"My precious son! How wonderful it is to have you in my arms again! I feel like my heart is going to burst from happiness!" Momma Fear replied, tears of joy streaming down her face as she kissed her son's head lovingly.

All of a sudden, their delightful reunion was interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps coming from somewhere to their right.

"Where is my family then?!" A screechy male voice with a strong southern accent demanded shrilly.

Fear and his mother both yelped in surprise and turned in unison towards the voice. Moments later, a tall sleek Fear Emotion wearing an off-white colored sweater-vest with dark brown trousers sauntered into the clearing confidently.

His gray eyes lit up with excitement as he met the frightened gazes of Fear and his mother huddling together a few feet away. Fear stared back apprehensively at the mustachioed purple Emotion standing before him, his trepidation mounting as he noted the way his father carried his axon unusually high in an aloof and self-assured manner.

His mother was right…

This was a Fear with an unnaturally high opinion of himself. In fact, he radiated so much self-confidence that Fear decided it was downright scary!

Papa Fear grinned maniacally, his eyes full of pride as he started striding towards his family purposefully. Fear and his mother stared at the approaching Emotion like two Bambis caught in the headlights, one word flashing through both their minds as they reacted spontaneously: RUN!

In an instant, both mother and son bolted in separate directions leaving clouds of dust in their wake and a rather perplexed Papa Fear glancing over his shoulder nervously, as though he was trying to figure out what had spooked his family so abruptly.

Seeing no apparent cause for alarm, the father Emotion shrugged dismissively and proceeded to chase first one fleeing purple streak, then the other.

"Come on you two! Daddy's home!" Papa Fear called out cheerfully as he alternated between chasing Fear and his mother all over Family Island.

After about half an hour of this high-speed game of hide and seek, Momma Fear stopped under the big willow, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Her terrified son was breathing just as heavily, sweat dripping down the back of his shirt as he hid behind his mother's back. Despite her exhaustion, Momma Fear stood protectively over her son, her usually gentle gray eyes filled with defiance as she faced down the mustachioed menace in front of her.

Papa Fear however seemed none the wiser that he was the cause of his family's panic, and after taking a moment to catch his breath, he approached his wife with a confident swagger.

"Ah Fiona! Nothing has changed after all these years!" He remarked offhandedly. He studied her with respectful admiration as he came to a stop a few feet in front of her.

The father Emotion gave a broad smile. "You still make me chase you before letting me express my feelings for you! But I don't mind at all! You are still as beautiful as the moment I first laid eyes on you!" He admitted fondly.

Momma Fear ( **Fiona** ) shot her husband an accusing look. "Ferris! You should know by now that I am a very nervous Emotion!"

Despite her irritation at being chased by him again after all these years, Fiona felt a tiny smile of admiration slowly appear on her own face as she stared back at her long-lost husband.

"Why do you have to be so forceful? You make me so jumpy with your brash approach to everything!" She reprimanded in a softly teasing voice.

She folded her arms over her chest and turned up her nose in distaste. "Have you ever thought about giving a little warning of your intentions?"

Papa Fear ( **Ferris** ) chuckled sheepishly as he stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Fiona's shoulder.

His eyes were full of sincerity as he replied softly, "I am nervous too Fiona. But whenever I'm around you, I can't help myself! I just want to hold you in my arms and let you know how much I adore you!"

With that, Ferris embraced his wife eagerly, causing Momma Fear to utter a little cry of surprise. Staring dreamily into her startled gray eyes he began singing enthusiastically:

 _"I'm running, I'm scared tonight,_

 _I'm running, I'm scared of life,_

 _I'm running, I'm scared of breathing,_

 _'Cause I adore you…!"_

Unfortunately, Ferris was so focused on his serenade that he didn't notice his son, who was cowering behind his mother nervously. In his eagerness to impress his wife, Ferris wound up accidentally pinching Fear's sensitive axon as he simultaneously sang and hugged her tightly.

Fear emitted a high pitched shriek of pain and alarm, causing both his parents to jump involuntarily from the unexpectedly shrill sound.

Fiona reacted impulsively, her super-protective maternal instincts taking over as she pushed her husband away abruptly and turned to comfort her distressed baby. Ignoring Ferris' stunned expression, she wrapped Fear in a protective hug and whispered reassuring words into his ear.

Ferris watched the scene with a sense of guilt. His own axon, which he tended to hold high in a confident manner, suddenly drooped in submission as he glanced over Fiona's shoulder and tried to see whether his son was alright.

"What do we have here?" He inquired gently. A proud smile appeared on his face as he caught his first close-up glimpse of his son.

"Come here son! Let your papa get a good look at you!" Ferris crooned, his voice soft with affection.

Fiona wrapped her arm reassuringly around Fear's trembling form and slowly eased him in front of her.

She narrowed her eye in warning at her husband. "Be gentle Ferris! You scared him!" She scolded firmly.

Fear looked up timidly at his father, his big gray eyes full of uncertainty as he met his dad's admiring gaze.

Ferris smiled back warmly at his terrified son, pride filling his heart. "You're not afraid of me are you son?" He ventured sweetly.

Fear shook his head nervously, gulping loudly as he stammered, "N-no…Mr. Ferret s-sir…"

Ferris laughed lightly at his son's mispronunciation of his name. "It's _Ferris_ son, _Ferris_! You know…as in today it's _Ferris Fear's Day Off_!" He corrected jokingly.

"Oh…okay…" Fear gave a nervous groan and averted his eyes to the floor apologetically. "I'm s-sorry…"

Ferris looked at his son quizzically, tapping a finger against his chin as he wondered out loud, "You're not some kind of Momma's Boy are you? Surely you must have taken after me! I bet you're a chip off the old block eh?!"

Fear glanced up at his mother with desperation, the pleading look in his eyes signaling a silent cry for help.

Fiona didn't need much incentive to spring into action. She glared daggers at her husband and stated acidly, "He's not a Momma's Boy or a chip off the old block!"

The mother Emotion wrapped an arm around Fear protectively as she spoke, her voice filled defiance. "He's just himself and you're going to respect that!"

Ferris held up his hands in a gesture of appeasement, a sheepish grin appearing on his face. "Well surely Fiona he's got my looks and your smarts…which is a good thing I guess?"

Fiona felt a smug grin tug at the corner of her mouth. "Well I guess it is. We wouldn't want him to have _your_ smarts because you can be awfully childish sometimes!" She retorted sarcastically.

"Me? Childish?!" Ferris countered mockingly.

He gave his son a playful smile and boasted, "Nah! I prefer the term _multi-talented!_ "

Then without warning, Ferris executed an impressive handstand right in front of his stunned audience, quickly followed by a flawless backflip.

Fear and his mother looked on in bemused silence as Ferris launched into a series of breath-taking cartwheels, his hands and feet spread wide so he resembled a wagon wheel rolling down a hill.

As he finished showing-off, Ferris spread his arms wide and announced with a pleased smile, "Pretty impressive huh? I call that trick the _Ferris-Wheel!_ "

His eyes lit up with pride as he jabbed a finger at his chest for emphasis. "Get it? _Ferris-Wheel?_ As in _Ferris_ – yours truly?"

Fear gave a nervous chuckle and looked up at his mother uncomfortably. Fiona rolled her eyes in exasperation. She noticed Fear's questioning look and shrugged at him sympathetically.

Ferris however was not one to be easily discouraged by his audience's lack of appreciation. His voice was filled with enthusiasm as he offered excitedly, "Hey! How would you like me to teach you how to do that son?!"

Fear kneaded his hands together fretfully as he struggled to find a polite way to decline his father's offer.

Although his dad had made the trick look easy, Fear couldn't help noticing how many things could go disastrously wrong if he wasn't careful! Sure his father's acrobatic antics were impressive, but there was also a very high chance of serious physical injury along the way!

Fortunately, Fear's mother saved him once again with her quick thinking…

Fiona placed a hand gently on her son's shoulder, flashing him a warm smile as she interjected, "Maybe later Ferris. We still haven't told him what his name is yet!"

"Oh?" Ferris raised an eyebrow questioningly at his wife. "I thought you would have told him by now?"

The father Emotion looked at his son searchingly, his probing gaze making Fear shift uncomfortably. Fiona sensed his discomfort and her fingers tightened gently on his shoulder as she stared back prudently at her husband.

Finally, Ferris shrugged casually, a sly smile appearing on his face. "After all…I heard that the two of you have already met before?" He observed.

Fiona sighed fondly, her voice soft with affection as she replied, "Well we did. But I was waiting for the right moment...the moment when all three of us were reunited again…before revealing our baby's special name!"

The mother Emotion gently turned Fear around so that he was facing her. Fiona gazed lovingly into her son's eyes, pride filling her heart as she whispered, "My darling son. Your secret name is Freddie!"

Fear gasped in shock, his jaw almost hitting the ground at his mother's announcement.

Fiona's smile didn't even waver as she added cheerfully, "That's right! You are named after…"

"I know! Jill's kitten!" Fear interrupted in a stunned whisper, his shoulders beginning to slouch with despair.

His mother blinked in surprise, her gray eyes searching his admirably. "Oh sweetie! You know about that?"

Fear didn't respond. Instead he just sighed miserably and gave the slightest indication of a nod, his axon curled tightly in a downwards facing spiral signaling his disappointment.

Fiona couldn't help feeling a little disheartened by her son's discontented reaction to learning his name. Placing her hand under his chin, she lifted his head gently so that he was looking into her eyes again.

"Oh…don't you like it sweetie?" She asked softly, her caring eyes searching his imploringly.

Fear gave a sob of despair, a pang of guilt stabbing at his heart as he registered the hurt in his mother's voice.

"It's not that I don't like it mom…" He replied quietly, his eyes flitting to the floor uncomfortably as he averted his gaze from hers.

"I just can't believe that I'm named after a cat, who in turn was named after a monster from a horror movie!" Fear concluded dismally.

From behind them, Ferris gave a charming snort as he stifled a chuckle of amusement.

Fiona shot him a glare of indignation, at which her husband shrugged innocently and stated, "What? The boy has raised a good point Fiona! Just out of simple curiosity, how did you end up choosing that name for our son?"

The mother Emotion took a deep breath. "Well it sounded like a good idea at the time…"

She returned her attention to Fear, who was still looking uncertain and smiled at him encouragingly. "From the moment you were born, you have filled my life with happiness and love, just like that kitten did for Jill!"

As she spoke, Fiona caressed the side of his face lovingly, her gentle touch helping to put Fear's mind at ease. "As for the monster from that horror movie…"

She shrugged innocently, a nervous smile flashing across her face. "Well son if it's any consolation to you, I believe my preferred spelling of your name is slightly different than that given to the monster…so you could argue that it's not even the same name!"

She glanced up at Ferris, who was nodding thoughtfully at her explanation. The father Emotion stepped forward and put a hand on his son's shoulder reassuringly.

"Your mother is right son. Freddie is a nice name, and given time, I think you'll grow to like it." He offered compassionately.

After a while, Fear ( **Freddie** ) sighed in resignation. "Yeah…I guess so…"

He glanced down at the ground shyly and ventured, "What about you two? Did you both choose each other's names?"

Ferris looked up at his wife admirably, a massive grin of satisfaction on his face as he explained, "You could say that son! You see, I always considered _Fiona_ such a gentle and beautiful name…"

He gave Freddie a knowing wink and proclaimed, "In fact _Fiona_ means _'Fair One'_ and I couldn't think of a more fitting name for your gorgeous, kind-hearted mother!"

Fiona smiled back approvingly at her husband. She sighed dreamily and offered, "As for your father sweetie…Ferris was the first name that came into my mind when I saw him. I didn't realize it at the time, but Ferris actually means _'Rock'_ …"

She trailed off deliberately and threw her husband a sideways glance. "I guess that's kind of ironic. Your father always was as stubborn as a rock when he set his mind on something!"

Ferris shrugged innocently, "Well what can I say? I'm a very motivated Fear Fiona!"

Fiona shook her head wryly. "Indeed Ferris. You certainly are one of a kind…"

The father Emotion leaned in close to Freddie and whispered helpfully, "It's the moustache son! Chicks absolutely dig it! Make sure you grow one when you're older and they'll find you irresistible!"

Fear chuckled nervously in response to his dad's _"advice"_ and averted his gaze to the ground uncomfortably. "Ah s-sure…thanks dad…"

Ferris nodded in satisfaction and drew his wife and son into a loving embrace, kissing each one in turn as he declared proudly, "How fortunate I am to have you both in my life! I have a beautiful son and now I'm finally reunited with the love of my life! What more could a Fear want?!"

Fiona and Freddie both returned his hug happily, the three Emotions relishing the feeling of being in each other's presences for the first time in twelve years.

After several minutes, Ferris released them gently. He looked at Fiona with pure adoration and asked, "Tell me more about yourself my sweet one. How are you doing these days?"

Fiona took his hand in hers and gazed deeply into her husband's eyes as she answered, "Well there isn't much to tell…all of us mother Emotions respect and understand each other. Our leader Mrs. Sadness oversees all the important decisions we make for Jill every day and she ensures that we all work well together and behave in a civil and orderly fashion."

Fiona reached over with her free hand and stroked Fear's face fondly. "What about my boys? How have your respective co-workers been treating you my dears?"

Ferris grunted humorlessly, his voice taking on an irritated edge as he confessed, "Well our Boss Mr. Anger…"

"Or should I say _"General"_ as he likes to be addressed…" The father Emotion grumbled bitterly whilst rolling his eyes.

"He keeps us all on our toes…me especially! If you think that I'm forceful, you ain't seen nothing yet!"

Ferris suddenly looked very uneasy, his body beginning to tremble slightly as he squeezed his wife's hand and draped an arm over Fear's shoulders.

"There are days when that fiery little grump makes me shiver to my very core with his volatile temper and explosiveness! Why, he's called me more nasty things then you could find in a dictionary!" Ferris confided gloomily.

All of a Sudden, Fear threw his arms around his father's waist and hugged him tightly, causing Ferris to emit a stunned gasp. It took him a moment to realize that his son was sobbing quietly into his shoulder, his body shaking from the force of his tears as he sought comfort from his dad for the first time ever in his life.

The father Emotion quickly overcame his shock and patted his son on the back gently, the soothing gesture eventually calming Fear down as he whispered in his dad's ear empathetically, "Oh dad! I know exactly how you feel! Our boss is Miss Joy, and she tries so hard to keep everyone happy. But Anger is like an unstoppable force of nature! He is always so mean to me!"

Fear looked up at his father with tear-filled eyes, his voice shaking as he confessed miserably, "He even calls me Beanpole!"

Ferris felt tears stinging his own eyes as he sympathized with his son's plight. "Oh son that's awful!"

He held Fear close to his chest, running his hand down the back of his son's head reassuringly as he admitted, "But still, it's nowhere near as awful as what the _General_ calls me!"

His voice cracked as he whispered sullenly, "He calls me Walking Stick! That makes me feel like an old man!"

Fiona was watching the scene in silent wonder. She was surprised that her son had chosen to seek comfort from his dad rather than her! She was equally perplexed that Ferris had reacted so compassionately! But the longer she watched the heartfelt exchange between father and son, she felt the confusion give way to admiration.

Her two boys were bonding! When she initially arrived here tonight, she was anxious about how this reunion would unfold. But it turns out her beloved boys shared something in common…the treatment they both received at the hands of Anger and his father!

Sure. It was a far from idyllic reason to bring them together…

 _But the most important thing is that they are together and enjoying each other's company!_ Fiona told herself as she wiped a tear of fondness from her eye.

 _Now we really are a complete family and my mission to reunite us is finally complete!_

Ferris and Freddie spent the next half hour exchanging advice about how to stand up for themselves against their common enemy. The two Emotions laughed and shadow-boxed with each other playfully, although as soon as one of them took a mock swipe at his opponent's face, the other would give an instinctive yelp of fright and cower to the floor.

Finally it was Fear who decided the outcome of the match when he accidentally lost his balance whilst attempting to sidestep his dad's mock punch and instead, wound up ploughing into his father, sending them both toppling to the floor.

Father and son lay side by side in stunned silence, their eyes wide with fright as they tried to process what had happened. Then Ferris looked over at his son and burst out laughing as his shock gave way to elation, his high-pitched cackle soon making Freddie join in with equal delight as he realized just how ridiculous they must have looked at that moment.

Once their laugher subsided, Ferris offered his son a hand and helped him to his feet as they both got up and started meticulously dusting off their clothes, Fear paying particular attention to his bowtie, which had come untied during their pretend boxing match and was dangling from his neck loosely.

After a few minutes, Fiona cleared her throat gently and announced with a hint of sadness in her voice, "I've been waiting so long for the moment when all three of us could be reunited again. I wish this night could last forever…"

She paused and took a shuddering breath, the looks on both Ferris and Freddie's faces telling her that they already knew what she was going to say and both felt just as reluctant about it as she did.

Fiona felt tears welling up in her eyes as she stated, "But it's getting late and we should all be heading back to our hosts soon."

Fear stepped forward and touched his mother's arm comfortingly, causing her to look up at him with surprise.

He smiled back at her warmly, his gray eyes filled with pride as he offered quietly, "Mom, before I forget…my friends wanted me to thank you on all their behalves for making these Emotional Family Reunions possible."

Ferris gave his son a knowing grin and wrapped his arm around Fiona's waist as he proclaimed proudly, "That's my Fiona! Afraid by nature but brave by heart!"

The father Emotion patted his wife on the back affectionately, gazing into her eyes with pure adoration. "You see son, why I always loved her? She is such a kind-hearted Emotion! Always protecting everyone around her and striving to bring happiness into all our lives!"

Fiona looked down shyly, the tiniest hint of a blush appearing on her face as she whispered, "It was my pleasure to allow everyone the opportunity to meet their loved ones! If I didn't choose to follow that yearning in my heart, who knows if any of this would have been possible?"

She glanced up at Freddie and reached out with an arm, drawing him close to her chest as she wrapped her other arm around Ferris.

Then she kissed each one in turn before continuing fondly, "Now our family as well as all the other Emotional families can enjoy these precious moments forever!"

She gazed contentedly at her family. "You two say that I made all of this possible, but in reality I believe there has always been one member in each of our individual families that is like a lighthouse…guiding the rest to safety."

Ferris nodded eagerly in agreement, a dreamy look in his eyes as he whispered, "I just hope we get to do this again sometime…"

He flashed Freddie a mischievous smile and rubbed the back of his head fondly (taking care not to pinch his axon again!) as he promised, "I still need to teach my son how to do the Ferris-Wheel!"

"Ah…uh…s-sure thing dad…" Fear stammered uncomfortably as he pictured his father performing that impressively dangerous stunt from earlier.

Tears began forming in the corners of Fear's eyes. "Dad is right. This can't be the last time we see each other." He fretted sadly.

Fiona hugged her boys tighter, smiling faintly as she assured, "I promise we will see each other again soon. Now that we have uncovered one of the greatest secrets of the mind, I won't let anything prevent us from being together ever again!"

The three Emotions stayed like that for a long time, holding onto each other and reveling in the love and security offered by a close-knit family unit.

After a while, Fiona pulled away from her son and husband gently. "Now we really should start making our ways back home my darlings."

Ferris and Freddie both nodded reluctantly, their eyes downcast as they prepared to say their goodbyes.

But before Fear could find the right words to express his sorrow for parting ways with his parents, his father's drawling voice interrupted his thoughts.

"But before we go, I want to make sure our son has _two_ lighthouses guiding him tonight! We will walk at least part of the way back as a family, because if there's one thing I learned from our reunion, it's that Fears need to stick together!" Ferris declared proudly.

Fiona and Freddie both stared at the father Emotion in genuine respect.

"Ferris! That's the nicest thing you've said all evening!" Fiona uttered appreciatively.

A short time later, the three Fear Emotions were walking towards the Recall Tube together. They had their arms wrapped around each other fondly, Freddie flanked by his mother on the left and his dad on the right as they talked about the special memories they created during tonight's reunion…

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **There we have it folks! I hope you all had fun reading about Fear's Family Reunion :)**

 **Speaking of that, I would like to explain something about Fear and his parents' names…**

 **Before you start reminding me that "Freddie" was originally supposed to be Fear's name in the early version of the script for Inside Out, yes I am already aware of that. The reason why I chose to make Fear's secret name "Freddie" is because it worked the best with what I had planned with this reunion. As you may remember, I made reference to** _ **"A Nightmare on Elm Street"**_ **back in the previous chapter by saying that Jill named her kitten** _ **"Freddy Krueger".**_

 **I thought it would be funny if Fear's mom told him that she had named her son after a character from a horror movie! How ironic for an Emotion who's so scared of everything :)**

 **But I did choose to make the spelling of Fear's name different (Freddie) in oppose to (Freddy) because it just looked more appropriate for our little nervous friend!**

 **Another reason why I chose to make Fear's name "Freddie" for this story is simply because I can't picture him being called anything else! For some reason, that name just works for this particular character…or maybe that's just my opinion :)**

 **As for Fear's mother, I thought "Fiona" was perfect for her even before I found out what that name actually means! Personally, I am really fond of the name "Fiona" as well as it's Irish variation "Fionnuala" (that's pronounced** _ **Fin-noo-lah**_ **in case anyone was curious) because it sounds so enchanting and beautiful. Fear's mother is also beautiful and gentle, so I think "Fiona" really suits her :)**

 **Finally we have Fear's dad…**

 **Whenever I look at pictures and clips of Bill's Fear, he strikes me as a character who has a really high opinion of himself and he's kind of cocky and loud (nervous too since he is a Fear Emotion) but different from his wife and son in that he appears overly confident even if he's scared on the inside.**

 **So the reason I chose the name "Ferris" for Fear's dad is:**

 **1\. He reminds me a little of the character** _ **Ferris**_ _ **Bueller**_ **from** _ **Ferris Bueller's Day Off.**_

 **2\. You know how certain names seem to really suit somebody? Well Fear's dad always struck me as a** _ **Ferris**_ **if he ever were to have a name!**

 **So yeah, those were the reasons how I came up with the names for the Nerve Family. I hope you all enjoyed them and the Reunion as a whole!**

 **One more thing I need to mention:**

 **The song that Ferris was singing to Fiona at the beginning of their Reunion is an actual song! It was the winning song of Eurovision 2011 from Azerbaijan.** _ **(Running Scared – by Ell & Nikki)**_

 **Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing this story! Although this was the final Emotional Family Reunion, there will be one more chapter in this story before it is finished! I hope you all decide to stick around for it :)**

 **Svinorita**


	15. What's Your Name Baby?

**Chapter 15 – What's Your Name Baby?**

Time really does fly when you're having fun…at least that's what it felt like for Riley's Emotions! Nearly six months have passed since all five Emotions were reunited with their long-lost parents on Riley's Family Island. It was during these initial get-togethers that each family made a secret vow that they would arrange dates to see each other again in the near future.

But as the weeks slowly turned into months, the five Emotions still hadn't heard back from their parents and the constant anticipation was making them grow more restless and distracted by the day.

Then one day at the beginning of November, the wait to see her parents again proved too much for Joy and her listless energy began affecting the others to the extent that they couldn't concentrate on doing their daily jobs anymore. Either that, or maybe everyone was just getting tired of hearing their leader playing her special family song on her accordion multiple times a day for a whole week…

Finally they couldn't stand listening to the "Joy Family Anthem" any longer and they agreed to approach their yellow co-worker and ask her what the matter was.

Joy paused halfway through her five hundredth rendition of her Family Anthem and announced in a high-pitched wail, "I miss my Mommy and Daddy!"

This in turn set off Sadness, who collapsed onto the floor in a sobbing mess.

"I miss my parents too…" She bawled inconsolably. Within seconds a sizeable puddle of tears had formed around her and began spreading outwards at an alarming speed.

Fear stared at Sadness' puddle of tears miserably and sniffled as a loud sob escaped from his throat. He closed his eyes and concentrated on sending his mother a mental message with all his heart.

 _Please Mom…if you can hear me, let me know somehow! I really need to see you again…_

Meanwhile, Disgust and Anger looked at each other in bemusement.

Disgust regarded her co-workers' childish antics with disapproval. "Oh come on you guys! If you want to see your parents again, just say so!" She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Anger grunted and glared at the others testily. "Yeah! Get a grip will ya! I don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of cry-babies!"

So a decision was unanimously reached that day. Everyone would try using the telepathic communication skills they had learned from their parents to get in touch with their folks and organize a second round of reunions as soon as possible…

XXX

The parent Emotions all responded to their children's calls shortly afterwards and one by one, a second successive round of reunions by each Emotional family was arranged.

While he was meeting his wife and son for a second time, Anger's Dad took it upon himself to lay down some rules. After all, he was The General and he considered it part of his job to issue orders for the other Emotions to follow!

After some careful deliberation, The General decreed that from now on each family will organize two reunions annually; the first of which will take place on the anniversary of each family's first meeting.

Despite the parent Emotions' desire to be with their children, they all agreed that devoting more than two weeks per family in a year wouldn't be possible. They couldn't risk jeopardizing their hosts' mental welfare by taking prolonged and frequent absences from the console, and a 10 week period seemed like a reasonable and safe amount of time for all of them to visit their families in turn.

But there was some consolation for all of them…

It was unanimously decided that each Emotion was allowed to visit their family members as many times as they wished during their designated "family week."

Now the New Year was fast approaching and as part of their New Year's resolutions, Riley's Emotions promised that they would share some of their family secrets with one another and reveal the secret names that their parents had given to them.

Once all the Christmas and New Year's celebrations were out of the way, Joy suggested that January the 3rd would make a good day for them to have their special show-and-tell. Everyone was excited and a little apprehensive to share their secrets, but in the end they all agreed that it was the right thing to do…

XXX

When January the 3rd finally rolled around, all five Emotions gathered around the console with a sense of anticipation. Since it was still early in the morning, they decided to have breakfast by the console while they listened to each other's stories.

Disgust and Joy had made a stack of pancakes, which they brought out for everyone to savor and enjoy as Fear and Anger prepared some tea and coffee respectively. While the others were busy getting breakfast organized, Sadness stayed behind on the sofa and lost herself in her sorrow. The intense longing she was feeling for her parents had caused her to become extra-weepy lately, and as a result, she needed to take a moment to console herself.

After a few minutes, breakfast was ready and Sadness had stopped crying (for now at least!) The five Emotions sat down around the console as they prepared to have their breakfast and exchange their family experiences.

Anger glared crossly at the others as they all took their seats and made themselves comfortable.

"So? Who's gonna go first then?" He grumbled impatiently.

Fear sat on the sofa with his cup of tea and regarded his red co-worker thoughtfully. "Shouldn't _you_ go first Anger? I mean you were the first to have your family reunion…"

Anger looked down uncomfortably, his mind racing as he desperately tried to stall for time. Deep down, he was still unhappy with the name his Momma had given him and he wasn't quite ready to share that big revelation with his co-workers yet…

Suddenly the red Emotion gave an exaggerated gasp. He stared at Fear with an accusing expression and uttered, "Beanpole! Where are your manners?!"

He gestured towards the three girls. "Haven't you heard the saying _Ladies First?!"_

Fear looked taken aback by this.

 _Where did that come from?!_ He wondered in astonishment as he struggled to come up with a suitable response to Anger's unexpected show of chivalry.

Before he could say anything, Joy chimed in enthusiastically. "Oh that's music to my ears! Can I go first?! Can I? Can I?"

The yellow Emotion didn't give the others a chance to object as she stood up in front of everyone and started jabbering in a very excited voice. "My Mom and Dad are awesome! They are both really wonderful and beautiful! We sang and danced together for hours! Then I made up this song on my accordion and my Dad said it could become our very own Family Anthem!"

Disgust stifled a yawn. "Yes Joy! We have heard that anthem like a million times already!"

Joy ignored her green co-worker's sarcastic remark and continued with undeterred enthusiasm. "Anyway…it was so much fun!"

She held out her arm and showed off the little bracelet her mother had made for her excitedly. "Look! My Mom gave me this beautiful bracelet!"

The others watched with mild amusement as she shook her arm and made all the happy symbols on her bracelet clink together noisily.

Joy laughed and boasted delightfully, "And my Dad gave me not one but _two_ boxes of chocolates!"

Disgust narrowed her eye at her yellow co-worker, her voice laced with jealousy as she prompted, "And you ate them both?!"

Joy disregarded the bitterness in Disgust's tone and nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I did! They were delicious!"

Then a massive smile appeared on her face and she actually glowed a little brighter as she jabbed a finger at her chest and declared proudly, "Oh and by the way, my name is Jewel!"

Sadness offered her friend a small smile. "What a beautiful name…"

Fear nodded slowly and commented, "Yeah…it really suits you Joy…"

Disgust didn't looked very impressed as she remarked flatly, "Nice…"

Anger just mumbled, "Mm-hmm…"

 _I guess my name isn't the only one that sucks!_ The red Emotion thought to himself smugly.

Disgust sighed deeply as she looked back on her own family reunion with mixed feelings. "Speaking of chocolate, I also received some chocolate and candy…right after my Dad tried to poison me with his homemade cooking!"

She stuck out her tongue and shuddered compulsively. "At first I thought it wasn't so bad, but then I discovered the hidden repulsive ingredient…broccoli!"

The others stared at their green co-worker curiously.

"Wait…" Anger challenged in mock astonishment. "YOU actually ate broccoli?!"

Disgust flashed an irritated look at the red Emotion. "Don't remind me!" She pouted.

Suddenly, her complexion turned a shade greener as she fought back a wave of nausea and confessed, "Argh! I don't even need to explain what happened next! Let's just say that I left my Dad's present at the scene of the nearly committed crime!"

Disgust shook her head and gave another involuntary shudder. "It still gives me the shivers to think that I came so close to being poisoned!"

Then Disgust started reminiscing about the fonder parts of her reunion with her parents and slowly a small smile of admiration appeared on her lips. "But I do have to admit that my parents are really beautiful, stylish and classy!"

Her green eyes glinted with pride as she announced, "After all, they named me Duchess!"

'Wow…!" Joy uttered optimistically.

Sadness looked at her green co-worker thoughtfully. "It _does_ suit your personality…"

Fear shrugged uncertainly. "As you said so yourself, classy…"

Anger snorted sarcastically. "Oh yeah…"

 _This just keeps getting better and better! Maybe my name isn't so bad after all!_ The red Emotion mused snidely.

 _I mean Duchess?! Give me a break…why not Princess? Baroness? Or Your Highness…?_

Disgust stared at her red co-worker with a raised brow. She cleared her throat loudly, "Did you say something Anger?"

Anger snapped himself out of his thoughts abruptly and nearly tripped over his words as he tried to allay Disgust's suspicions. "No! No! That's a really suitable name for you, Your Highness…"

"I mean Duchess!" He corrected with a forced smile.

Before tensions could escalate between the two Emotions any further, everyone was interrupted by some loud sniffling coming from Sadness.

"Just thinking about my parents makes me feel sad…" She sobbed desolately.

The blue Emotion looked up at Fear with tear-filled eyes. "Can you go before me Fear? I need a moment to collect my thoughts…"

As if to prove her point, she pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and blew her nose really loudly.

Fear's eyes flitted around the room nervously. "Are you sure Sadness…?"

"Absolutellyyy…" Sadness wailed as she buried her face in her hankie and blew her nose even more loudly.

Fear shifted uncomfortably as he felt all eyes in the room gazing at him expectantly.

"Um…okay then…" He stammered insecurely.

He gulped and drew in a deep breath before beginning, "I was overwhelmingly happy to see my mother again."

A distant, dreamy look appeared in Fear's eyes. "Whenever I am in her presence, I feel so loved and protected and cherished…"

Anger rolled his eyes impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! We all know you're a Momma's Boy Beanpole! Just cut to the chase and tell us about your old man!"

Fear blushed and averted his gaze to the floor. "Um…he's alright…I guess…"

He felt an instinctive tremor roll down his spine as he recalled nervously, "He startled both me and Mom at first. We panicked and all three of us ended up running around for a while…"

Joy and Disgust both stifled laughs. Anger face palmed and mumbled, "Typical."

Fear glared defensively at his mocking co-workers and his voice took on a note of defiance as he went on, "But by the end of the night, we sort of had a good father-son talk. I believe we actually even bonded a little! You see, my Dad appears to have a similar problem to me…"

He frowned and shot a sideways glance at Anger. "He told me that he also cops a lot from Mr. Ang…"

Fear trailed off anxiously as the tiny sliver of courage he had managed to work up suddenly abandoned him and looked away from Anger's imposing presence listlessly.

Anger's brow shot up questioningly. "You were saying Beanpole…?"

Fear's heart was racing inside his chest and his eyes darted around the room as he desperately tried to diffuse the tension and change the subject.

"It was all good!" He exclaimed with a nervous chuckle. "And I found out that my name is Freddie." He added quickly.

"Oh Fear. That really suits you…" Sadness whispered softly.

Joy nodded eagerly in agreement. "Yeah, Fred-Master!"

Disgust shrugged indifferently. "Pretty ordinary if I may say so…"

Anger had a devilish smirk on his face. He nodded and remarked teasingly, "Steady-Freddie!"

The corner of his mouth turned up wickedly as he wondered out loud, "You know what that name reminds me of? Freddy Krueger from the _Nightmare on Elm Street_ horror franchise…"

Fear stared at his red co-worker in bewilderment. "How did you know?!"

Anger's jaw nearly hit the floor from disbelief. "Are you kidding me?! You mean your parents actually named you after that freak?!"

Fear recalled what his mother had told him about the spelling of his name and he tried to use this in his defense now. "Well actually my Mom said that my name is spelled differently from the monster in that movie, so you could say that it's not even the same name!"

Anger waved off his explanation and insisted, "It doesn't matter how it's spelled! At the end of the day, it's still the same thing!"

Fear gave a helpless groan as he watched Anger mocking him.

 _No it's not the same…my Mom wouldn't intentionally name me after something so terrifying!_ He tried to reassure himself feebly.

Meanwhile Anger was grinning diabolically at his crestfallen co-worker.

"This really makes my day!" He taunted as he pretended to claw the console Freddy Krueger style.

Fear gave a defeated sigh and stared at his feet miserably.

"Come on Anger. Don't be mean…" Sadness interrupted with a depressed sigh.

Fear glanced over at his blue co-worker and offered her a tiny smile of gratitude. Sadness gave a slight nod in return and sniffled quietly as she began recounting her own experience with meeting her parents to the others.

"My Mommy and Daddy are so loving and understanding. I did not want to leave them…"

She fought back a loud sob and wept, "I want to be back in their arms right now!"

The other Emotions waited patiently as Sadness took a deep breath and went on with a half-smile. "Believe it or not, my Daddy even sang for me! And then my Mommy gave me this beautiful sweater that she knitted for me…"

Sadness indicated to the plain grayish-white sweater she currently had on as the others exchanged confused looks.

Finally Disgust couldn't contain her bemusement any longer. She raised her brow skeptically and insisted, "But it looks exactly the same as your old one!"

Sadness' reaction to this comment shocked everyone with its unexpected ferocity. Her usually kind and soulful blue eyes were filled with defiance as she glared angrily at Disgust and shouted, "No it's not! It's much nicer and it's newer! It's very special to me because my Mommy made it for me!"

The other Emotions gasped and stared at their formerly placid co-worker in disbelief. Did Sweet, gentle Sadness really just _shout_ at Disgust right now?!

Sadness balled her tiny fists and continued defensively, "Why did you have to say that it's the same?!"

Disgust was so taken aback by the fierceness in Sadness' eyes and the accusing tone of her voice that she actually recoiled slightly. She gave her distraught co-worker an apologetic look and babbled as she desperately tried to appease her.

"Oh Sadness! On closer inspection, it really is nicer! And the pattern of the stitching is much more delicate than on your old one!"

"Yes it is! Maybe I'm not the only one who needs glasses around here!" Sadness remarked loftily.

Disgust was shocked into speechlessness as the blue Emotion shot her a final withering glare and stated matter-of-factly, "And my name is Stella."

Joy offered her blue co-worker a huge smile of admiration. "Wow! That's a wonderful name! Stella – Star…"

Disgust put on her most apologetic smile as she commented, "Mm…I have to admit, it is pretty nice…"

Fear looked genuinely impressed. "That's a perfect name for such a perfect girl…"

But it was Anger who offered the most surprising response. The red Emotion whistled in admiration and expressed enthusiastically, "That's a really good choice…especially right now when you look like a fiery little supernova!"

Sadness blushed and looked down at her feet timidly. Apparently, her rare display of indignation was over and she had reverted back to her usual shy and gentle manner.

One by one, everyone turned and looked at Anger expectantly. They had all shared their family secrets and now it was his turn…

Anger gave a massive sigh of exasperation. He refused to make eye-contact with anyone and spoke in a gruff tone as he told them about his family reunion.

"Oh well…um…my Dad is the Boss in Bill's mind and everyone calls him The General. And Mom is kind of like a hard rock chick. She's tough and imposing…"

Despite his reluctance to share his family secrets with the others, Anger felt a sly smile tug at his lips as he recalled some of the highlights of meeting his parents.

"We ended up having a fiery good time in the end…to the point where we had to tone down our enthusiasm so we wouldn't inadvertently create another Island in Riley's mind with our volcanic natures!"

"My Dad also showed me some cool air-guitar moves…" Anger concluded with a casual shrug.

The other Emotions stared at their red co-worker quizzically as Anger trailed off suddenly and appeared to become fixated at a spot on the floor. Apparently he was in no rush to reveal to them what his secret name is…

Finally Disgust cleared her throat loudly. "And…?" She prompted forcefully.

"AND WHAT?!" Anger snapped stubbornly, his eyes full of loathing.

Joy was unperturbed as she smiled encouragingly at her seething colleague and started singing cheerfully, "What's your name baby?"

The top of Anger's head began to glow with embers as he balled his fists and growled petulantly. Finally he looked away from their critical stares and through clenched teeth he mumbled incomprehensibly, _"Amadeus."_

Fear raised a brow curiously. "What was that? Amsterdam…?"

Anger shot a withering glare at his purple co-worker. "It's AMADEUS Steady-Freddie! You got that?!"

Fear gave an instinctive yelp of fright and shrank back from the explosiveness of Anger's voice.

Anger glared menacingly at the others and spelled it out to them in a slow and deliberate manner. "My NAME IS AMADEUS! A.M.A.D.E.U.S…AMADEUS! EVERYONE GET THAT?! ANY QUESTIONS?!"

Disgust looked like she was about to burst out laughing as she regarded her fuming co-worker with undisguised smugness. "Wow Anger! That's kind of retro…"

"Le chic…" Joy agreed with a giggle.

Sadness gave the fiery Emotion a little smile of approval. "That's a nice name Anger."

"Can I call you Amadeo sometimes?" She ventured shyly.

Anger was about to protest, but he just didn't have the heart to yell at Sadness. "I guess now and then…" He mumbled reluctantly.

Fear looked at Sadness thoughtfully. Finally he shrugged and offered innocently, "Yeah…it does sound better than Amsterdam…"

Anger's head began to smolder dangerously. "BEANPOLE…!" He growled as he began advancing purposefully towards the now terror-stricken purple Emotion.

Fortunately, Joy intervened before things got out of hand. Quick as a flash, she jumped in between the two Emotions and commanded, "Boys! Boys! Hey calm down you two!"

Both Emotions looked up at their leader; Anger with his head well and truly alight whereas Fear with a relieved expression on his face.

"Now that we've all introduced ourselves, there's only one thing left to do…" Joy announced authoritatively.

"Yeah? And what's that?" Anger scoffed moodily.

Joy fixed him with a patient smile and gestured to the plates and mugs spread out over the floor from this morning's breakfast. "Well these dishes need to be washed…and since that's a nice calming job, the two of you can do it!"

Both Anger and Fear stared at their yellow co-worker with despair.

Joy's smile grew even wider as she added helpfully, "That's right! There's nothing like a little teamwork to diffuse any ill feelings harbored towards each other! One can wash and the other can dry!"

Anger clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned almost pink and he gave a low growl of outrage. Fear seemed equally unhappy with this arrangement. His eyes were full of pleading as he stared at Joy and stuttered desperately, "B-b-but…"

Joy's smile never faltered as she pointed to the kitchen and said calmly, "Off you go boys! The kitchen is that way."

Then before either could argue, Joy turned her attention back to Sadness and Disgust. "While the boys are clearing up the dishes, I'll go fetch my accordion and entertain the two of you with my Family Anthem!"

Disgust groaned and rolled her eyes in exasperation. Sadness seemed too lost in her own thoughts to care as she inspected the stitching on her sweater obsessively.

Joy laughed cheerfully. Then she turned on her heel and skipped happily to her room to get her accordion.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **We are getting closer and closer to the conclusion of this story. I felt I needed to tie everything in together at the end instead of just finishing the story abruptly after all the reunions took place.**

 **Originally I was going to end the story with the Emotions telling each other their secret names as they did in this chapter, but then Karebear49 suggested something in the review to my previous chapter that caught my eye and I decided I wanted to incorporate it into this story (I won't tell you what it is yet…you'll just have to wait and see in the final chapter!)**

 **In addition to this, I think it's only fitting to end the story with Fear paying one last visit to Family Island…after all, this whole story began with him and so it deserves to end that way too!**

 **So yes, there will be one more chapter to go before this story is completed!**

 **I would like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story up till now :)** **I'll be sure to mention all of you in my final author note in the next chapter to show how much I appreciate your feedback and support!**

 **But before I get down to writing the final chapter of this story, I would like to update "The Curse of the Were-Disgust" first, as that story also has three more chapters left until completion.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me with every step of my writing journey! You guys are an endless source of motivation for me :)**

 **Svinorita.**


	16. We Are Your Tomorrow

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **All journeys are exciting, but eventually we do reach our final destination…**

 **This was the first story I started writing when I joined Fanfiction last year and I am quite sad to see it finished :(**

 **But after working on it for over six months, we have finally reached the end and there is no more I can do to extend it further. (I wouldn't rule out a sequel sometime in the future, but there are so many other ideas I'd like to try putting together first, so we'll just have to wait and see…)**

 **In a way, this story was a real breakthrough for me. It not only kicked off my Fanfiction journey, but I feel like it helped me discover what kind of writer I am. Through writing it, I learned a lot about my writing style and how my writing connects with other people. I made many wonderful friends as I worked my way through this story and it has always been my personal favorite up till now!**

 **Having said that, this story and the positive reaction I received from it has inspired me to keep pursuing my writing on this site! I can promise you that I will continue to write many more stories for this fandom as long as I can :)**

 **Before I present you with the final chapter, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has come on this journey with me and hopefully, I was able to reveal some of the biggest "Secrets of an Emotional Mind" with you!**

 **Thank you so much to all the reviewers, people who have favorited/followed this story and all the silent readers around the world :)**

 **I will now thank all the reviewers from oldest to most recent for your awesome support and encouragement:**

 ** _Orangebird124_ – Thank you for being the first person to ever review on my story and for making me feel so welcomed on this fandom from day one :)**

 ** _ErinMilne_ – Thanks for your wonderful encouragement back in the early chapters of this story :) **

**_Sydney 3_ – Thank you for taking the time to review and I'm glad you enjoyed it :)**

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 **Now in addition to the reviewers, I would also like to thank the following people for adding this story to your favorites/and or story alerts lists:**

 _ **Shychick**_

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 **I hope you all enjoy my upcoming stories! Now I'd like to share the final chapter of "Secrets of an Emotional Mind" with you…**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16 – We Are Your Tomorrow.**

As soon as Fear and Anger had finished clearing up the dishes from this morning's breakfast, Joy called everyone back into the main room once more. Her voice sounded a little croaky after singing her Family Anthem for the umpteenth time today but it didn't dampen her enthusiasm as she put aside her accordion and waited for the others to assemble around the console again.

Each Emotion appeared to be lost in their own thoughts as they reminisced about the memories of their family reunions fondly. They had all learned so much about themselves from their parents and everyone had walked away feeling more competent about their roles in Riley's life, as well as relishing the idea that they were not alone like they had been led to believe all these years.

Just like Riley had her mother and father to love and cherish her, they all had parents that adored them more than anything, and that made each Emotion feel special in a way they could never have dreamed of before!

Eventually Joy couldn't keep quiet much longer and she decided to share a very special story with her co-workers that her mother had told her during their second reunion about a month ago.

The yellow Emotion beamed at her friends and her voice radiated with pure happiness as she said excitedly, "Oh guys! I was thinking about something my Momma told me and I can't wait to share it with you!"

Disgust yawned and began examining her fingernails unenthusiastically. "And what would that be Joy?"

Joy was practically bouncing up and down, her aura glowing extra bright as she squealed with delight, "Oh trust me! You're gonna love it! Can I tell you please?!"

Anger rolled his eyes and grunted testily. "If you must…"

He was feeling tired just from watching his yellow co-worker's hyper excited state all morning and he figured that the sooner Joy got what she wanted, the sooner he'd be able to get some peace and quiet!

The other Emotions made themselves comfortable on the sofa as Joy stood in front of them, a massive smile on her face as she began recounting her mother's secret story passionately.

"My Momma told me about the time we were babies, living inside Jill's mind with our mothers before Riley was born!"

The others stared at their leader with expressions of wonder on their faces. Joy's smile grew even wider as she pointed a thumb at her chest and exclaimed, "I was born first of course!"

Disgust rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Of course…" She mumbled.

"Come on guys…that's just how it is!" Joy insisted with an innocent shrug. Then she continued with as much enthusiasm as ever, "Anyway, a few days later, Sadness was born and I was introduced to my first playmate!"

She looked at Sadness fondly as she spoke. The blue Emotion averted her gaze from her yellow companion's bashfully and started fiddling with the hem of her sweater.

Joy's eyes were full of reassurance as she went on, "My Mother told me how she and the other moms had put up a big playpen in the middle of Jill's Headquarters so they could keep an eye on us while they worked at the console. For a while, it was just me and Sadness lying next to each other in that playpen."

She glanced at Fear and smiled at him sweetly. "Then one day they put this screaming purple thing into the pen with us which turned out to be you Fear!"

Fear chuckled nervously and shifted in his seat uneasily. "Screaming you say? Why would I be _screaming_ if you and Sadness were in there with me?"

Joy gave her purple co-worker a compassionate look and explained, "Well my Mother says that you suffered from extreme separation anxiety as a baby Fear. Apparently you used to follow your mother everywhere and you didn't like to be separated from her very long. So when she put you into the playpen so she could work at the console, you used to scream and try to climb out to get to her again…"

"Oh…" Fear blushed and looked down in embarrassment.

Anger smirked and shoved him in the ribs with his elbow. "Ha! Told you that you're a Momma's Boy Beanpole!" He teased.

Joy cleared her throat loudly to regain everyone's attention before continuing in an upbeat tone, "A few weeks after Fear joined us, Disgust came along…"

She glanced at her green co-worker admirably. "My Momma told me that you were such a little cutie-pie Disgust, with your big green eyes and sassy attitude!"

Disgust gave her an appreciative smile. Her voice was full of pride as she remarked, "Aw, thank you Joy! I guess someone had to stop you from doing all those gross baby things…like sucking on your feet!"

Disgust shuddered and pulled a face at the thought. "I mean seriously, why do babies have to do that?! Don't they realize how revolting feet are? And don't even get me started on the drooling and diapers…"

"Okay, point taken…" Joy interrupted as she quickly tried to switch the focus back to a positive note. "As I was saying, by this point the playpen was beginning to get a little crowded!"

She flashed Anger a friendly smile and announced, "Then one day, Anger made his entrance and all five of us were together for the first time in our lives!"

"Darn! So that means I'm the youngest?!" Anger grumbled irritably.

Joy shrugged and looked at her fuming co-worker apologetically. "That's what my Mom said…"

"Anyway, so there we all were in Jill's mind with our mothers, and my Mom told me that we were the cutest bunch of babies she ever saw! Even then Sadness used to cry all the time…but apparently she wasn't the only one! It turns out that Anger had a tendency to put his tonsils on display as well!"

Joy smiled warmly at Sadness and informed, "But one day as you were laying there crying Sadness, baby Anger discovered your foot and he put it in his mouth!"

Disgust looked like she was about to barf after hearing this. "EW! That's so gross!"

Joy rolled her eyes at her green co-worker and insisted, "It was a clean baby's foot Disgust!"

Then she regarded Anger curiously and offered helpfully, "Maybe the poor little fellow was teething and sucking on Sadness' foot was soothing for him…?"

Anger ground his teeth and glared at the yellow Emotion furiously.

Joy shrugged and chuckled uncertainly. "But apparently, it made Sadness stop crying! So I suppose it was beneficial for both of you!" She added quickly.

Joy decided to change the subject before Anger could get any more heated and turned her attention to Fear.

She offered him a friendly smile and explained, "As for you Fear, you were always at the edge of the playpen and when you weren't trying to crawl over the barrier and get out, you used to stand there shaking and drooling from stress."

She flashed a quick glance at Disgust and added, "And since Disgust couldn't stand seeing anything gross, she used to come over to you and wipe your mouth with her face all scrunched up."

Disgust had a mortified expression on her face as she exclaimed, "EW! I hope it wasn't with my hand?!"

"No! I'm told we had a little blanket and you used that." Joy replied, trying her best to reassure her green co-worker.

Disgust was still looking at her hands doubtfully. "Yeah…so you're saying that we were all drooling, slobbering and crying…"

She narrowed her eye challengingly at her yellow co-worker and pressed, "And what were _you_ doing Joy?"

Joy gave a lighthearted laugh and replied, "Well my Momma said that I used to circle around the playpen and try to herd all of you together like a little sheepdog! And that I was the most talkative as a baby…apparently I was always goo-gooing and gaga-ing at the rest of you!"

Anger gave a snort of amusement and folded his arms over his chest. "Some things never change…"

Joy ignored her red co-worker's remark and went on happily. "Then when Riley was born, I was the first to be sent into her mind and one by one, the rest of you arrived at various stages in Riley's early development."

She spread her arms wide and stated, "So here we all are! As you can see, we've been together since we were born and we will always be together in Riley's mind! I think this calls for a group hug!"

There were mixed reactions as the other Emotions (some willingly, while others a little reluctantly) went over to their leader and allowed her to draw them into a tight embrace.

After a few seconds, Sadness looked up at her colleagues and whispered in a soft melancholy voice, "Remember the time we discovered Dream Duty? I really loved staying up and watching what Riley would be dreaming about when she was little."

Fear had a distant look on his face, his gray eyes full of longing as he confessed, "By far the best thing for me was discovering Family Island! That has become a very special place for me and I'll be going there often in the future…"

"Well if I had to pick a highlight, I think I'd have to say it was the creation of Fashion Island." Disgust informed casually.

Anger stroked his chin thoughtfully before venturing, "I remember when the first edition of _The Mind Reader_ came out…it has been my loyal companion ever since!"

"And what was your favorite thing about Riley's mind Joy?" Sadness asked her yellow co-worker gently.

Joy appeared to become lost in her thoughts, tapping a finger to her chin contemplatively. "Hmmm…let me think…"

Suddenly her blue eyes lit up playfully and she gave a heartfelt laugh. "Only kidding! I don't need to think it through!"

She gestured to the others and exclaimed happily, "It's you guys! Always has been and always will be! And also everything we do to ensure Riley has a happy and wonderful life!"

XXX

The emotions sat together and reminisced for a few more hours. Gradually as it grew later in the afternoon, they dispersed in order to spend the remainder of the day catching up on some their favorite pastimes.

Anger went off to his room to look through some vintage copies of _The Mind Reader_ he had saved over the years.

Disgust announced that she wanted to take a beauty nap while Joy retired to her room to rest her voice and prepare a nice relaxing foot spa for herself.

Fear seemed to disappear without saying a word and since it was already sundown, Sadness chose to stay at the console and make herself comfortable. After all, it was her turn to take Dream Duty tonight and she was actually looking forward to spending some quiet time alone with her thoughts…

XXX

That night, as Dream Productions were just about to broadcast their first dream for Riley, Sadness was woken from a light sleep by some noises coming from the direction of the Recall Tube. Deep down the blue Emotion knew what she was going to find, but she decided to take a look anyway.

She pretended to be asleep as she slowly opened one eye and watched the movement by the Recall Tube out of the corner of her vision. Just as she had suspected, her initial hunch turned out to be correct.

She caught a brief glimpse of Fear just as he stepped into the Tube and allowed it to pull him out of Headquarters. The purple Emotion had snuck out of his room and was heading for Family Island again…

Sadness made a silent promise that she wouldn't mention what she saw to anyone, not even Fear himself. After all, it was thanks to him and the remarkable bond he shared with his mother that had made all these family reunions possible for the rest of them!

And for that, Sadness would be forever grateful to both of them…

XXX

Fear kept checking over his shoulder nervously as he made his way over to Family Island. He had organized a secret rendezvous with his mother tonight and he didn't want anyone to know what he was up to.

This was a special meeting just between the two of them and Fear couldn't help smiling to himself as he crossed the bridge and entered Family Island. His heart was already racing with anticipation as he followed the winding path and worked his way into the center of the Island where he knew she would be waiting, just as eager to see him again as he was to see her…

Finally he reached the vast parkland that was the heart of Family Island and to his elation, he found her sitting on the bench under the willow tree, her hands clasped anxiously in her lap as she waited for him.

She looked up as he made his approach and their eyes locked for a moment. Then as if drawn to each other by an invisible rope, mother and son sprinted towards each other at full speed, their hearts overflowing with love as they fell into one another's embrace and relished the feeling of being together again.

"Oh Mother! How lovely it is to see you again!" Fear exclaimed as he closed his eyes and hugged her tightly.

"It sure is my little darling!" Fiona replied, kissing the top of her son's head tenderly.

Fear found himself crying tears of joy as he felt her arms tighten around him gently, her reassuring presence like a warm security blanket protecting him from all the scary thoughts that plagued him every waking moment of his life. When he was around her, he never felt afraid of anything and Fear understood now that it was her unconditional love for him that made her appear so strong and brave despite her timid nature. He was the source of her strength and courage, and together they had shattered one of the oldest taboos of the Mind World and rewritten the rules governing Emotions and their families forever…

"Mother! You knew these reunions were going to work out all along didn't you?" Fear slowly pulled back from her embrace and gazed into her gray eyes soulfully. "You were right from the start!"

Fiona chuckled softly and brushed back Fear's axon gently as she replied, "Well they don't call it _motherly intuition_ for nothing son! But I never could have done it without you and your belief in me my sweet one!"

Fear smiled graciously and looked at her with pure adoration. "Deep down, I never forgot about you Mother! And we made everyone so happy by giving them the chance to experience this for themselves! I'm so glad we made these reunions possible for all the Emotions!"

Fiona smiled at her son proudly. "Yes! So am I my darling! After all, you are our future! From now on, we can all keep these family ties strong and one day when you young ones have children of your own, you can carry on this wonderful tradition into the next generation!"

Fear nodded and threw his arms around his mother again. "I could listen to you forever Mother! It's like you said, we are your tomorrow and I promise that if I ever have a family one day, I'll make sure they know all of this was possible because of you!"

Fear and his mother stayed together all night. They sat under the willow and exchanged stories about their pasts and the present, as well as sharing ideas about how they can improve the future for all inhabitants of the Mind World.

 **The End**


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